Facing COVID-19 together
We’re working with Medibank to ease the burden of COVID-19 for students, employees and the wider community.
Twenty-twenty hasn’t turned out like any of us expected. On-campus activities have all but ceased, our students are completing their coursework online and La Trobe employees are working from their homes.
While the pandemic has delayed many of the initiatives La Trobe and Medibank were planning, we have quickly re-calibrated to focus on the immediate challenges posed by COVID-19.
COVID-19 rapid response research
Our industry partners Medibank and Optus joined forces with La Trobe to fund COVID-19 research projects. Proposals were sought for projects centred around the theme ‘promoting health and wellbeing’ with fast turnaround times and immediate impact.
The three successful projects focus on the wellbeing impacts of working from home, telerehabilitation for cancer patients and virtual care technologies. Read more about these and other research projects we’re working on with Medibank at on our driving health research page.
Live Better at Home
COVID-19 lockdowns are restricting movement for many people, but Medibank’s Live Better at Home online platform is helping our students and employees stay fit and healthy from home. The program offers a range of resources, including:
- live guided meditations
- workouts and stretching sessions
- nutrition recipes and tips.
Crisis support for international students
COVID-19 has had a major impact on our international students, many of whom have found themselves far from home facing limited employment opportunities and closed borders.
We worked with Medibank to divert funds originally intended for on-campus wellbeing activities into a $20 000 international student crisis fund. The fund provides grocery vouchers to international students facing financial hardship due to the pandemic.
Further information about the program is available from our International team.
Online health information and support sessions
We’ve joined with Medibank to host a series of support webinars for our international students, many of whom feel particularly isolated during the pandemic.
Reaching over 600 students to date, these sessions have covered a range of topics, including tips for staying healthy while studying from home, health and financial advice, and nutrition 101. Details of upcoming sessions will be available on the International Student Services Facebook page.