Grampians Community Health recently honoured retiring board member Seena Papalia who has decided to step down after six years.
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Before joining the GCH board in 2015, Ms Papalia worked as a District Nurse in Northern Grampian Shire during the 1990s, and by 2003 she was working as a Regional Palliative Care Nurse covering the Northern Grampians Shire, the Pyrenees Shire and the Rural City of Ararat.
Mrs Papalia said her time at GCH was an "absolutely wonderful place to work".
"I found that the support and camaraderie was just wonderful," she said.
"They had a philosophy that their staff were their greatest asset.
"I found them to be very good problem solvers and if they saw a problem they would troubleshoot until they solved it."
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By 2015 Mrs Papalia was considering retirement when she had a conversation with a couple of former colleagues from the GCH regarding changes that might impact its future direction.
"At the time I joined the board, former chief executive Jill Miller was looking to retire and changing governments were introducing new funding models and the NDIS was being implemented," she said.
"I welcomed the challenge to oversee the transition.
"There were concerns that some programs would no longer be funded and that services may be reduced as a consequence. Other Centres had amalgamated and were run from Melbourne, Geelong or Ballarat leading to the loss of local knowledge and focus."
"I am very proud that the Centre has retained its identity as a local provider of quality Community Services and not only retained its services but expanded into Family Violence and Youth Services provision.
"With the leadership of chief executive Greg Little the centre now has new offices in Horsham and is expanding into the Wimmera while maintaining a strong presence in Stawell, Ararat, St. Arnaud and Beaufort."
As a community-based nurse, she had already formed a close working relationship with GCH, allowing for a seamless transition onto the board.
"I often found that my clients needed more than just Clinical Care to manage their illnesses at home, in fact some didn't even have a home," she said.
"Others lived in isolated areas with limited transport and no close neighbour's or families.
"I would find people being discharged from large hospitals who had no heating or hot water and limited cooking and bathroom facilities. I would then make phone calls to the Community Centre asking them to help out."
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Mrs Papalia said during her time on the board, she was most proud of the newly built Horsham office and the appointment of the organisation's new chief executive.
"We rationalised our assets and got ourselves into a sound financial position," she said.
"We then advertised for a CEO, and I am very pleased to say that we found an excellent chief executive (Greg Little) that lives in the region and cares passionately for the area.
"I actually think the new community centre (Horsham) was handled absolutely brilliantly last year.
"It was a major effort to transition services from one to another, especially over last Christmas."
Mrs Papalia said her time as a district and a palliative nurse was rewarding as no two days were the same.
"We actually got to know the people we were caring for," she said.
"When you are invited into their homes, you get a whole different perspective of how to make a person better.
"It is not just turning up and doing what the doctor told you to do. You need to go that extra mile that is not in our job description.
"I found it interesting, you never knew what you were going to get when you turned up."
Mrs Papalia said she felt it was an appropriate time to step aside to focus on other priorities in life.
"I thought it would be better for someone younger and more energetic with current ideas to take over from me," she said.
"For myself, my garden is calling, and there are libraries full of unread books waiting for me.
"I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and my new friends at U3A Ararat."
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