What’s the difference between the Department of Health and the Western Public Health Unit?
The nine local public health units were established and funded by the Department of Health and led by health services around Victoria. All the local public health units and the Department of Health work collaboratively and share resources to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The Department of Health is located in the Melbourne CBD and provides central support and oversight. The local public health units are located in the community they serve. Having a public health unit close to our community enables contact tracers to swiftly respond to new cases or outbreaks. It also means we can use our expert knowledge and local familiarity to help us track outbreaks in our area.
As the Western Public Health Unit sits within the Western Health services network, we are also able to tap into the regional knowledge of clinicians and colleagues.