Financially Inclusive (Bulk Billed) Dietitian Support: A Safer Space Program
We believe every BODY has the right to comprehensive and inclusive nutrition care, no matter their age, race, gender, income or ability level.
Our Safer Space Program aims to support clients who may not be able to access inclusive Dietitian support otherwise.
And we are so grateful to be able to offer this to our Glow community.
A bit of background:
As part of our desire/passion/aspiration to make healthcare more accessible to a wider range of people we decided to offer the bulk-billed Safer Space Program to wider Australia. We recognise there are often a number of barriers to accessing health care, and so we aim to work towards offering a safer space for our clients where we can.
So, how does it work?
There will be options for face-to-face, if that’s accessible to you, and/or telehealth appointments (over phone or ZOOM call). These will all be bulk billed (at no cost to you!).
Our Safer Space Dietitian will complete a comprehensive 1 hour initial assessment with you to understand your nutritional needs and current relationship with food. You will then be allocated up to 4 x 30 minute follow up sessions (pending the number of sessions allocated by your GP).
Keep an eye out on our Instagram page and website for who our Safer Space Dietitians are. For now this program is being cared for by our Accredited Practising Dietitians, Rebecca Levi and Andriana Rudnytski (you can check out their bios here).
How can I be part of the Safer Space Program?
To be eligible, you will require access to either of the following Medicare referral pathways: Enhanced Primary Care Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan referral from your Doctor (we explain this below).
If you are someone with a Medicare referral, maybe facing hardship and/or difficult circumstances, or live in an area that is far from a Dietitian, especially a weight inclusive and HAES® aligned Dietitian, then we are speaking to you.
To make a Safer Space appointment, we ask that you give our admin team a call (0499 888 801) or email (hello@glowgroup.co) to discuss whether this program is the best fit for you.
Please know that we will still keep our regular clinics offering support with Eating Disorder Recovery, NDIS, Gut Health, Sports Nutrition, Intuitive eating and improving relationship to food and body.
How do I get a Medicare Referral to see a Dietitian?
As mentioned above, Medicare treatment plans that offer access to Dietitians (amongst other allied health professionals) include Enhanced Primary Care Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan. Typically you can be eligible if you have been diagnosed with a chronic condition such as diabetes, high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome, osteoporosis etc.
It is best to make an appointment with your GP to discuss this.
Working with Glow Group long-term:
The Medicare referral pathway discussed above is capped at 5 Dietitian/Allied Health visits per calendar year. We recognise that this might feel limiting when working on your relationship with food and body and this is something that we are happy to discuss with you to work towards a long-term affordable solution for ongoing appointments.
For those without a Medicare referral, we have always offered a sliding-scale fee for appointments, and this is also something we would be happy to discuss.
We’d love to hear what you think and look forward to connecting with you!
Updated 15/12/2020
You might notice that our program title has been thoughtfully altered to ‘A Safer Space Program’. As we continue to learn and do our best to practise trauma informed care, we have come to recognise that as Dietitians we cannot guarantee a safe space at all times.
Therefore, ‘A Safe Space Program’ no longer felt quite right.
Safety is a felt sense, determined by our clients and their lived experience.
The best we can do as Dietitians is to aim to hold a space for our clients where safety is prioritised.
