Be Health Aware
Understanding our own health and how to access the care we need - our health literacy - is now more important than ever. Advances in modern medicine and knowledge about what care best suits each of us is flourishing, increasing the options we face.
Be Health Aware is the CHF portal for evidence-based information and resources.
This collection of resources have been created by reputable sources, and we are confident they will help you with your health care decisions and choices. The best health outcomes rely on patients and consumers who are engaged and informed. With this in mind, we have developed and maintain Be Health Aware as part of our advocacy of health literacy as a central element of consumer-centred health care.
Welcome to Be Health Aware - use the links in the right-hand column to navigate the page and find the information you need, whether in relation to a particular disease, treatment, service or policy. If you have ideas of resources to include on this page we would love to hear from you
What is health literacy?
According to the Australian Commission of Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), Health literacy is how people understand information about health and health care, and how they apply this information to their lives.
To learn more about health literacy visit the ACSQHC website.
Free health literacy course - Introduction to the language of healthcare
- Information about COVID-19
- COVID-19 vaccination
- What to ask your Doctor
- Being Well
- Health Complaints
- Patient Guides
- Medicines and medical devices
- Digital Health
- Private Health Insurance
- Medicare
- Health Concessions
- Oral Health
- Mental Health
- Indigenous Health
- Disability Services
- Carers
- Finding a Health Service
- Hotlines
- Consumer Centred Care
- Multicultural Health and Support
- Research
- Interpreting Services
Information on COVID-19
Australian Department of Health
Latest information and alerts
Vaccine strategy
Resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and remote communities
Translated resources for people in migrant communities
Is it true?
Answers to your questions from medical experts
Handy mythbusters from the World Health Organisation
Information about your health
As a part of the increased services by the Australian Government, healthdirect Australia is delivering the National Coronavirus Helpline (1800 020 080), a dedicated service scaled to meet the volume of calls and assess symptomatic callers.
Use the healthdirect to find the health information you need. - regularly updated from evidence-based sources to provide timely and accurate consumer-friendly advice and information.
- The healthdirect Symptom Checker
- The Service Finder helps you find local clinics and COVID services.
- The healthdirect app includes all of the above in one place.
Australian Department of Health
National COVID-19 clinical evidence taskforce - High-priority, evidence-based clinical COVID-19 guidelines
Two guides on telehealth for consumers from the NHMRC Partnership Centre
Connections for older Australians, - advice from COTA
More advice and support line for older Australians to stay healthy and safe.
Making sense of COVID-19 - information for HIV and LGBTIQ communities
Stay up-to-date with news about COVID-19 - ABC coronavirus hub
Coronacast - podcast by Dr Norman Swan, Physician and Health Journalist with the ABC.
Do you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccination program in Australia?
The following resources about the vaccination program are from the science community and have been published by trusted organisations. They are technical in nature and include details on how individual vaccinations work in the population, and the up-to-date evaluation of research. For more general information read this statement from Professor John Shine AC FRS, President of the Australian Academy of Science.
The Australian Government COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Strategy
COVID-19 Hub - latest published info from the Australian Academy of Science
Science of Immunisation - Australian Academy of Science
COVID-19 Vaccine - Frequently asked question from the New England Journal of Medicine
Medicine and medical devices
Learn more about your medicines, medical devices, and where to go if you are having issues with them.
General consumer information about medicines/devices
Report adverse events or side effects of medicines/devices
Safely and effectively use your prescription or OTC medicine
What is the Black Triangle Scheme
What does my medicine’s label mean?
Buying medicines or medical devices online
Private Health Insurance
Do you need Private Health Insurance? With so many policies to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you? On 1 April 2019, private health insurance begins the most extensive changes in recent years. Learn more about how it works, compare policies and understand your options.
Medicare
Learn more about Medicare, the scheme that gives Australian residents access to healthcare. You can access your Medicare account through myGov, a system that allows you to securely access multiple government services with one login.
Mental health
Foster your own mental health and enjoy a general state of wellbeing, including the ability to cope with changes and challenges and live your life in a positive and meaningful way.
Healthdirect — mental health resources from the governement-funded healthcare information service
Head to Health — Australian Department of Health: apps, online programs, online forums, and phone services, and a range of digital information resources
SANE Australia — mental health support and resources
Lifeline Australia — 24-hour telephone support for people in crisis and suicide prevention services
Beyond Blue — information and resources for Australians to acheive their best mental health
Black Dog Institute — medical research institute for the early detection, prevention and treatment of common mental health disorders - public resources including research studies, education programs, digital tools and apps and clinical services
Healthy Mind — an online Easy Read tool designed for people with Intellectual Disability (ID)
Disability services
Services and resources to support people living with a disability and their carers.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Improving health outcomes for people with developmental disabilities
Healthcare rights for people with cognitive impairment: Easy English Guide
Intellectual disability - training for health professionals
Healthy Mind — an online Easy Read tool designed for people with Intellectual Disability (ID) from the Black Dog Institute
Carers
Carers are those who provide care and support to a family member or friend with a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged. If you are a Carer, it is important that you also take care of your own health and wellbeing.
Hotlines
Whether you have a health enquiry or are looking for support during difficult times, there are many free hotlines that provide information, referrals and advice for a range of situations.
healthdirect 1800 022 222 — Non-urgent 24/7 health advice
Medicine line 1300 MEDICINE (1300 633 424) — Information on prescription, over-the-counter and complementary medicines.
Cancer council 13 11 20 — Confidential information & support on cancer-related issues
Strokeline 1800 787 653 — Information and advice on stroke prevention, treatment and recovery
Lifeline 13 11 14 — 24/7 crisis support
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 — 24/7 support & advice from a trained mental health professional
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 — 24/7 support for kids, teens & young adults
QLife 1800 184 527 — nonymous LGBTI peer support and referral
Do you need an interpreter to help with a medical emergency or inquiry?
Always call 000 directly if you need to contact emergency Ambulance, Police or Fire services. The 000 emergency services line will call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) and connect you with an interpreter using a priority line 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
TIS National can help communications with: medical and health practitioners, pharmacists and emergency services. It provides interpreting services to people who do not speak English and to agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients. These services enable non-English speakers to independently access services and information in Australia.
TIS National can call on 3000 interpreters across Australia in more than 160 different languages. Non-English speakers can access immediate telephone interpreters through TIS National by calling 131 450.
Alternatively, if you contact an organisation directly it may organise an interpreter on your behalf.