Portland District Health's new board president Andrew Levings is honoured to take on the position and is looking forward to the challenges ahead.
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Dr Levings has been on the board for four years but said he had much to learn in his new role.
"Fortunately I'm blessed with a very capable board," he said.
Dr Levings is a life member of the Portland Professional Fisherman's Association and also has a PhD in Marine Science.
He said he looked forward to tackling the key issues facing PDH which included dealing with the nation-wide shortage of medical professionals in rural areas.
“Because we’re a rural service we’re limited within our clinical safety framework in what we can do and can’t do, and we are hampered by the overall shortage of medical workers, something that’s common across rural Australia,” he said.
Dr Levings said one way the board was dealing with this issue was to try and make it easier for local students to study health.
“We’re starting in secondary schools with vocational guidance and removing barriers so students can enter training in health and hopefully stay working in regional communities,” Dr Levings said.
He said one barrier for local students was accommodation costs when they study in major cities.
Dr Levings said he would also like to see increased cooperation between health services in the south-west to achieve the best outcomes for the region.
Meanwhile, there's been some festive spirit on display at PDH in the lead up to Christmas.
The year 1 and 2 students at All Saints Parish School Portland have made Christmas cards that are being distributed to the hospital's patients.
Teacher Zoe Currie said the students hoped to put a smile on the faces of patients spending Christmas in hospital.
“We decided to bring a bit of holiday cheer and share our Christmas spirit with the patients to hopefully bring a bit of light to their day,” Ms Currie said.
The students made the cards as part of a religious unit focused on togetherness and Ms Currie said they embraced the task.
“The kids were super-keen and rapt to know they could do something to make someone else feel good,” she said.
