Dental Health Services Victoria

Ms Kellie-Ann Jolly
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.

Mrs Helene Bender
Helene has extensive experience serving on community and private sector boards. She is Chair of the Barwon Health Foundation as well as the Geelong Cats Sports Foundation and has previously held the position of Deputy Chancellor of Deakin University. A registered tax agent, she is currently the Director of Allabout Tours and Travel, a worldwide travel agency. In 2006, Helene was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to the community of Geelong.

Mr Kevin Quigley
A member of the DHSV Board since July 2009, Kevin is Deputy President of the Library Board of Victoria, President of the Melbourne Athenaeum and a member of the Council of the University of Ballarat. He also chairs or serves on a number of Audit Committees.

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 has worked for many years as an accredited interpreter and translator.

Mr Sam Caldera
Sam is the parent of a patient currently attending The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. He is an accredited translator with a background in customer service and marketing. Sam is currently completing a Diploma of Community Development. He has extensive links with the Sri Lankan Community and is Secretary of the Northern Melbourne Sri Lankan Association and an active member of the Sri Lanka – Bangladesh Friendship Society.

Mr Geoffrey Dye
Geoffrey has been patient of The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne for several years. With a background as a teacher and librarian, Geoffrey also has extensive experience with a range of voluntary and community organisations in the areas of mental health, crime prevention, emergency services, music and historical research. Now retired, Geoffrey’s interest in serving the community is highlighted by his involvement with the Victorian Department of Justice as an Official Prison Visitor attached to Office of Correctional Services Review. He is currently assisting St Vincent's Hospital as a researcher in their archives department.

Sharon King Harris
Sharon is a long-standing patient of The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. A former Councillor of the City of Greater Dandenong, Sharon is a Victorian Justice of the Peace and a volunteer for the Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP) which assists young people at police interviews when a parent or guardian is not available. Sharon is also a volunteer in the Independent Third Persons (ITP) program at the Office of the Public Advocate, helping people with cognitive disabilities in their interactions with police. Sharon’s experience advocating in the disability sector includes presenting a paper to Cairns City Council on disability services, which led to a television interview for, and newspaper article on, disability access in the area. Sharon has also participated in a consultative group for the Disability Advisory Committee at Chisholm Institute of TAFE.

Ms Christine Ingram
Christine Ingram is a dental assistant by training who 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 consumers and health services about these issues. Christine was nominated to the CAC by VACCHO, Victoria’s peak Aboriginal health organisation. In 2011 Christine received a Public Oral Healthcare Award for her work in facilitating access to oral health care for Aboriginal clients.

Roxanne Maule
Roxanne is a speech pathologist working in the private sector. She has experience supporting people with Parkinson’s disease and Acquired Brain Injury. She regularly refers patients to The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and its Integrated Special Needs Unit Domiciliary Services.
 

• The CAC initiated a partnership with the Health Issues Centre to produce a special oral health edition of their Health Issues journal. The journal features an article from a CAC member about her personal journey to overcome her dental phobia.

A copy of the Inside: Oral Health edition of the Health Issues journal can be purchased from the Health Issues Centre website.

• The ‘Smile of the Year’ awards were introduced in 2010 to enhance people’s awareness of the importance of good oral health. Each year the CAC presents the award to a high-profile member of the community to act as a spokesperson on oral health issues. The winner also appears on the cover of the DHSV Quality of Care report.
   
• 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 was revised with DHSV’s Business Improvement Unit, and a new feedback form was developed. The CAC receives periodic reports on compliments and complaints.