Bellarine Community Health (BCH) has a rich history of providing innovative health and wellbeing services to communities on the Bellarine.
As the largest healthcare provider on the Bellarine, it supports all age groups with comprehensive services including Allied Health such as podiatry, physiotherapy, counselling and dietetics, public and private dental, general practice, nursing, Home Care Packages and social support programs.
BCH teams specialise in children’s services including speech, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and has a highly dedicated team that focuses on services for youth – including mental health support.
As well as offering free dental services to children aged under 13, the BCH dental clinic is the only one in the Greater Geelong region to offer a fully evaluated and personalised dental service for clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
The BCH dental team developed a new service delivery pathway and sensory resources to support clients with ASD to have an improved dental experience.
A special set up is provided to meet individual sensory needs, such as light-dimmers and minimal furnishings, along with squishy toys, iPads to watch a movie or listen to music, and noise-cancelling earphones.
The DHHS-funded pilot project to establish the service was the first of its kind in Victoria. It achieved outstanding results with almost 80 per cent of participants with ASD reporting a more positive dental experience.
Eight-year-old Annalise Mackenzie participated in the trial and mum Rachel says the outcome was amazing.
“They explained every step of the way, so Annalise didn’t get any nasty sounds or sensations she wasn’t ready for, and they were so patient and flexible with her,” says Rachel.
“Annalise found it easier to go the dentist with her older brother, so they even put Angus in the chair first and demonstrated on him first what they were going to do and that really put her at ease.”
BCH dental staff have completed training to enable them to support clients with ASD and, with recent funding from State Trustees Australia Foundation, will soon be able to cater for other clients with intellectual disabilities such as Down Syndrome.
General and emergency dental care is available for public patients, private health insurance holders and full fee-paying patients.
During this difficult time of COVID-19, every precaution is taken to ensure the health and safety of both clients and BCH staff.
Bellarine Community Health Dental Centre, 2 Nelson Road, Point Lonsdale. Opens 8.30am-5pm Monday-Friday. Inquiries: 1800 007 224 or www.bch.org.au
