2 April 2024

The maternity care for women and babies in the Wimmera continues to grow with the graduation of two new midwives at Grampians Health Horsham.

Kathleen Gillahan and Maddison Watts received their certificates from Women and Children’s Services program director Nicole Keogh after completing their year of consolidation as new midwives, having finished their post-graduate studies the previous year. Post-graduate midwives are midwives who were nurses first and completed further university level education.

Ms Gillahan said she wanted to become a midwife because she wanted to enhance her skills and provide maternity services close to home.

“It’s important to have good quality care for women and babies in the region,” she said.

Ms Keogh said midwifery education in Horsham had been a long running program.

“Grampians Health intends to continue to deliver the program so we can maintain the maternity services we are offering at Horsham,” she said.

“We continue to work on projects to enhance maternity services to the Wimmera region so birthing mothers have the best support possible.

“The Maternity Outpatients Clinic has been a great success story for us and there will be more.”

From left: Maternity Clinic manager Jane Rentsch, graduate Kathleen Gillahan,
educator Helen McMaster, women and children services director Nicole Keogh,
educator Leah Askew, graduate Maddison Watts and Yandilla nurse unit manager Michelle Coutts.