The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is a sub-committee of the Board of Directors of Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV). The committee is made up of consumers, carers, members of the community and members of the Board. Meetings are held every two months to discuss issues of importance to consumers and carers in general, in particular those issues affecting people considered at a disadvantage. The CAC provides advice to the Board of Directors and maintains a close eye on DHSV’s community participation projects.
CAC members are people with experience in a range of areas and have worked with groups such as young people and families, indigenous people, people with disabilities and people from different backgrounds. CAC members are committed to supporting the needs of various groups within the Victorian community and often participate in other committees and groups.
To communicate with the CAC or to provide feedback, please email cac@dhsv.org.au.
Documents of interest
Community Participation Plan 09-10 (PDF, 132KB)
CAC Terms of Reference (PDF, 41KB)
News and activities
Recent activities sponsored by the Community Advisory Committee are detailed below.
- A Welcome to Country ceremony was performed at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. It included the unveiling of a plaque which acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as traditional owners of the land on which the Hospital is built.
- The CAC was instrumental in having representatives from all units at DHSV as well as partners from RMIT University and the University of Melbourne signing the Victorian Community Accord. The Community Accord is a public gesture which shows support of a multicultural community.
- The committee was influential in DHSV organising an audit of The Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne building for compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act and the subsequent development of a Disability Action Plan to address findings.
- The following actions on the Disability Action Plan have been sponsored by the CAC:
- Signage on Swanston Street installed to direct people with disabilities to parking bays.
- Parking bays on Swanston Street changed from 15 minute to 5 minute zones to make them drop-off points for people with mobility difficulties. Crossing paths created at both ends of drop-off zone.
- A Disability Awareness Guide published and distributed to DHSV staff.
- Disabled toilet facilities modified to improve accessibility.
- Improvements were made to children’s spaces in waiting areas throughout The Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne. Thanks to funds provided by the Collier Charitable Foundation, a ‘cubby house’ was also created in the Day Surgery Unit.
- Improvements were made to the Hospital’s ground floor main entrance. Patients and visitors are now received by a Meet and Greet Officer instead of a security guard, and seating is available outside the foyer for patients and relatives waiting for transport.
- The process for collecting compliments and complaints is being revised with DHSV’s Continuous Improvement Unit and the CAC receives periodic reports on compliments and complaints’ trends.
Committee members
Ms Kellie-Ann Jolly (DHSV Board Member and CAC Chair)
Kellie-Ann is the Director of Cardiovascular Health Programs at Heart Foundation Victoria and has been a DHSV Board member since July 2004. She has a clinical background partnered with extensive experience in public oral health and health promotion portfolios.
Dr Brian Stagoll (DHSV Board Member)
A member of the DHSV Board since July 2003, Brian is a psychiatrist in private practice. He has broad experience in public health and is a long-time Board member of North Yarra Community Health Service.
Mr Kevin Quigley (DHSV Board Member)
Kevin is new to the committee and DHSV Board and will be attending his first meeting in the near future.
Mr Savas Augoustakis
Originally trained as a social worker, Savas has held management and advisory roles in various organisations, most recently as Manager of the Multicultural Advisory Unit of the Victoria Police. Savas has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to multicultural communities and is an accredited interpreter and translator.
Ms Jan Curry
Jan and her children have been clients of DHSV for many years and Jan’s particular area of interest is improving communication between health service providers and patients. Jan has been involved in various committees and programs within the education and health sectors.
Ms Christine Ingram
Christine was trained as a dental assistant and now manages the dental program at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service in Fitzroy. Christine has extensive knowledge of the oral health issues affecting Victoria’s Aboriginal communities and she liaises widely with both consumers and Aboriginal and non Aboriginal health services.
Mr Greg Loughnan
Currently working in disability liaison in the education sector, Greg has extensive experience in advocacy and the delivery of health and community services in the Goulburn-Ovens region.
Mr Peter Martin
Peter is a former secondary school principal who has led principals’ professional associations at state and national level. He has had a long-standing interest and involvement in health related issues having been a voluntary ambulance officer and rural ambulance board member.