St Vincent’s joins the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program You are here:HomeNewsroomNews St Vincent’s Melbourne has joined the Sunflower program, a global initiative designed to raise awareness and support people living with hidden disability. More than 3,800 St Vincent’s staff members have already completed training since it became available in December last year. “The staff response to the program has been incredible. We know St Vincent’s staff want to provide compassionate and inclusive care, and the Hidden Disability Sunflower is a tool that helps our staff achieve this,” said Emma Diepenhorst, Project Lead, Disability Confident Culture. Once trained, staff can display a support sticker on their name badge, signalling to Sunflower participants and patients that they are prepared to assist. Disability and chronic illness – such as low vision, chronic pain, autism, dementia or anxiety – aren’t always visible, and may mean someone needs additional support when accessing healthcare. The sunflower symbol is a discreet way for people to signal this need. The implementation of the Hidden Disability Sunflower program at St Vincent’s was made possible through the SVHA Health Equity Program (HEP) grant. For more information, visit the Hidden Disabilities website.