November 2015
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advancing primary healthcare OUTREACH IMPACTIssue 1, November 2015 health care where it’s needed most CONTENTS FOREWORD CENTRAL REGION FAR NORTH REGION Page 04 Page 18 Page 30 Ann Maree Liddy Kilkivan Clinic Healthy Eating in Cape York Matthew Cooke Blackwater Mental Health Page 31 Page 05 Page 19 Provider Profile: Dr Rob Miller Kathy Brown Provider Profile: Dr Tommy Tran Happy Feet! Dr Bill Glasson Page 20 Page 32 Home Is Where the Heart Is Weipa Mental Health Service OUTREACH SERVICES Happy Kids in Gladstone Wujal Wujal Page 21 Page 33 The Whole Child, The Whole Family 7 Page 06 Healthy Hearing Outreach Services Page 07 Feature Article: Children Receive Much Needed ENT Surgery NORTH-WEST REGION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 11 Page 08 Page 22 Page 34 Health Care Where It’s Needed Most Sleep Well, Live Well Photo Acknowledgements Page 09 Page 23 Outreach by the Numbers Page 35 Outreach in the Gulf Thank you to our Outreach SOUTH-EAST REGION Western Corridor Mental Health Providers Page 24 Page 10 Heart of Australia Outreach in the Great South-East Page 25 Page 11 Mending Hearts in the Gulf 15 Work it Out Telehealth in the North West Page 12 Team Approach Succeeds at Logan Clinic Provider Profile: Dr Christian Rowan NORTH REGION Page 13 Our Future, The Bigger Picture Page 26 TAIHS 24 SOUTH-WEST REGION Page 27 Mums and Bubs Page 14 Know Your Numbers Checking up in Cunnamulla Prep Screening in Clermont Page 15 Page 28 Provider Profile: Paula Hadgraft Pioneer Podiatry Page 16 Provider Profile: Dr Yong Tan 27 32 Supporting People through the Drought Page 29 Page 17 Andrew’s Story Spot On Vital Health HEAL Main cover photo supplied by Suzanne McCorkell, SOUL Photographic Design Photo supplied by Coriena Ross, Leidana Photography 4 Outreach Impact Outreach Impact 5 FOREWORD Kathy Brown Dr Bill Glasson Queensland State Director, Department of Health Ophthalmologist, Outreach Provider The Australian Government is committed to improving access There is a famous adage that medical outreach is about bringing to health services for people living in rural, regional and remote the services to the patient rather than the patients to the services. I Ann Maree Liddy Matthew Cooke Australia through a range of outreach programmes. More than truly believe in this as it delivers equity to all Australians - no matter $220 million has been invested over the last three years for the where they live across this far reaching country of ours. This also CEO, CheckUP CEO, QAIHC Rural Health Outreach Fund, Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic allows the engagement of the local health professionals such as Disease Programme, Visiting Optometrist Scheme, and Healthy our doctors, nurses and allied health professionals who are integral Accessing quality health services is something that most The Declaration of Alma Ata (1978) reaffirmed…that health is a Ears - Better Hearing, Better Listening Programme. in providing outreach services to rural and regional Australia. Queenslanders take for granted. Many of us have access to a wide fundamental human right…and that the gross inequality of health range of health services within a five minute drive from home. between people within a country is unacceptable. These programmes provide funding to address a range of financial A major spin-off of such a model is that it allows us, as specialists disincentives incurred by health professionals in providing outreach and GPs, to train and better educate the local health professionals. But for many people, particularly those living in rural and remote QAIHC, working in partnership with CheckUP, delivers services. Commonwealth funded outreach programmes have This in turn allows these health professionals to manage far more areas, and for a large number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commonwealth Government Outreach funded services to rural a multidisciplinary focus and participating health professionals complex conditions knowing that they have the support of the people, this is often not the case. Accessing specialised health and remote areas across Queensland. Our Regional Coordinators work in partnership with local health teams to identify and address specialists back in the major metropolitan city. Also, the social care typically involves a long drive to a coastal city or town, with work with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations service gaps. dislocation which patients incur when they have to be transported considerable time spent away from work, but more importantly, to build capacity within their Services, to identify service gaps in to a major city is very significant and comes at a huge cost to them time away from family and friends. their communities, and to provide improved access to existing and The Australian Government recognises the barriers that are faced and the system. new services. by people living outside of major cities and aims to provide health That is why I am delighted to be launching the inaugural Outreach care that is accessible, affordable and appropriate to their needs. I would like to thank all of my specialist and GP colleagues who magazine, Impact, which highlights how the Outreach program is Regional Coordinators, working collaboratively with these regional give their time to ensure that patients in rural and remote Australia helping tens of thousands of people throughout Queensland to teams, have facilitated strategies to target Aboriginal and Torres have access to high quality and affordable medical services. access quality health care closer to home. Strait Islander Queenslanders. Many of these patients present with complex health problems, and through building stronger This magazine showcases just some of the many services that are partnerships with service providers and mainstream organisations, being delivered across the six Outreach regions in Queensland, their health issues are addressed. The provision of quality health and is a tribute to the dedicated Outreach providers who travel the care in a culturally appropriate manner has been paramount in length and breadth of our large state to provide this much needed this. health care. Through ensuring a clear framework for service delivery, and Over the past twelve months almost 123,000 consultations have engaging with both the client and the community, the access to been delivered at 156 locations in Queensland through the services amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients Outreach program and 70% of these consultations were with has shown a marked increase on last year. For example, access Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. to services through MOICDP funding was 78% at the end of June 2015; at the end of September it was 85%. To the Outreach health providers, and to the many health facilities hosting Outreach services across the state, a sincere thank you for The increased access to Outreach Services will contribute to this tremendous achievement. Thank you also to the Regional ‘closing the gap’ in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Coordinators and the CheckUP and QAIHC teams for their highly Islander Queenslanders – congratulations to the hard-working effective coordination of the Outreach program, and for compiling people who have made this happen, especially our QAIHC this first edition ofImpact . Regional Coordinators. This is a magnificent outcome. We hope that the articles in this magazine demonstrate to you how It is wonderful to read the positive stories from around the our Outreach program is making a positive impact on the health regions featured in this publication. I urge everyone – providers, of so many Queenslanders. Quality heath care should not just be facilities, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, available for people in our coastal cities and towns, or to those coordinators and community – to continue to work together, who can afford it. We are delighted that our Outreach program and know, that through writing their own personal good news is helping to deliver quality health for all, in the parts of the state outcomes, they are contributing to the much bigger picture of where it’s needed most. removing inequalities in health care for everyone. Photo supplied by Tonita Taylor Photography 6 Outreach Impact Outreach Impact 7 OUTREACH SERVICES CheckUP, in partnership with the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), is FEATURE ARTICLE: the jurisdictional fundholder for the Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF), the Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic Disease Program (MOICDP), Healthy Ears – Better Hearing, Better Listening CHILDREN RECEIVE MUCH NEEDED ENT SURGERY Program, and the Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS) in Queensland. ON THE SUNSHINE COAST Collectively, these programs are known as Outreach Services. CheckUP, in partnership with the The questionnaire asked: North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health (NCACCH) • What improvement have been and a private ear, nose and throat experienced by your child since (ENT) specialist, Dr David McIntosh, receiving the surgery? received additional Outreach funding from the Department of Health for • What does is mean to you/ ENT surgery for Aboriginal and Torres your family member to have Strait Islander children who would the opportunity to receive this otherwise be on a two to three year surgery? waiting list for much needed medical intervention. • How would it affect you/your family member if you had to wait The surgeries were undertaken at an extended period of time for the Noosa Hospital in June 2015, and the surgery? coordinated