The healthcare worker who took charge of the region's COVID-19 response has been named as 2022 Local Woman of the Year.
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Lou Fox, who was appointed COVID-19 Controller for the Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) back in 2020, was presented with the award at a morning tea at Goulburn Base Hospital on Friday.
The informal ceremony was kept as a surprise with Fox thanking her family for their support after two years of at times endless working hours.
"I'm feeling very humbled by the effort that's been put in there," she said of the morning tea.
"My daughter said today to one of my colleagues, 'mommy worked Christmas Day and Easter', so certainly my husband Ben has been instrumental in taking that burden on the homefront.
"It really helps to not have to worry about that when you have a really supportive partner."
Fox, who also works as District Director for Integrated Care explained the challenges in combating an ever-changing and unfamiliar situation, something she said was only possible due to the region's other healthcare providers and staff.
"I had well established relationships with hospitals across the area and with community organisations and aged care so I guess it was logical to volunteer me for that role," she told the Post.
"There was no particular guide to follow so [I had] a lot of trust and confidence in the team. I'm certainly incredibly fortunate to work with the people I do.
"There was great opportunity we had to fast track services like virtual care which we set up from nothing to fully functional in three weeks.
"You can't do it in isolation. You can only do it when you have a great team and I think we're very lucky in health in the Goulburn community to have those strong partnerships."
She also took the time to thank Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman, who was in attendance, for her constant support and assistance in delivering the local response.
'It was a bit scary at the time I have to say, when you don't know what's coming next and no playbook to tell you how to make the next decision," she explained.
"When you're able to have conversations with people like Wendy to get their backing, and to make sure they are informed, was really helpful.
"It was nice to establish a really proactive working relationship and be in a position where you can ring someone late in the evening or early in the morning to share information and have a collaborative approach."
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