Royal Perth Hospital pushing for better

From 1 June to 24 June, a group of Royal Perth Hospital staff members took part in the Push-Up Challenge to help shine a spotlight on the number of lives lost to suicide and raise awareness of mental health.

The goal for each participant was to achieve a total of 3,139 push-ups over the 24-day period, with a daily target varying in relation to mental health statistics presented.

The multidisciplinary team from RPH who volunteered their time – and energy – included staff development nurses, nursing coordinators, nursing directors, co-directors and business managers.

Acting Coordinator of Nursing, Kylie Fawcett was justifiably proud of the overall effort.

“It has been a hectic time for everyone in the workplace, so by taking on this challenge, we were able to focus on something that was important beyond our day-to-day,” Kylie said.

The 19-member team managed to cross the 20,000 push-up mark, raising more than $1,000 for mental health.

“The challenge was also great for our mental and physical health. It gave us an opportunity to engage and talk with each other about something other than work, while helping us improve our strength,” Kylie said.

“Many of us could only do a couple of push-ups when we first started, and now we can do more than 20 at one time!”

Other Perth-based health services also took part in the challenge, including staff from Fiona Stanley Hospital, Joondalup Mental Health Unit and Perth Children’s Hospital.

Congratulations to the team for your amazing accomplishment and we look forward for seeing more staff join in next year.