Director's Cut - March 2009
Welcome to the first of the "Director's Cut for 2009". In its new format it will be an irregular, online journal of idiosyncratic
but hopefully relevant issues and information pertinent to staff and communities in north and west of Queensland.
There are many changes occurring within MICRRH, within the health environment locally, at State and Commonwealth levels. MICRRH is experiencing a change-over in staffing. Some of our staff have left the organisation and some have relocated to other communities but stay within the broader MICRRH family. Stephanie King has moved on to the Communities Partnership Project Officer position and is continuing her studies in Health Promotion and Community Development. Stephanie de la Rue has relocated to the Gold Coast with her husband but will continue to work on the Primary Health Care Research Education and Development program as well on some other specific projects.
Dr Louis Peachey will be moving back into clinical practice on the Atherton Tableland in July and the medical education program will be restructured to reflect the activities within this program. Qld Health has now become intimately involved with the local skills training program and a medical education committee has been set up with membership from both organisations and the RFDS to provide ongoing emergency skills training for health professionals across the region. The impact of this on the capacity and quality of emergency care is unique in remote Australia.
Our Academic Pharmacy program has recruited two part time Pharmacists, one Heather Volk, a senior experienced clinical and academic ex-rural pharmacist, now from Brisbane, who will oversee the roll out of the program. The second Pharmacist, David Herron, a rural JCU graduate who is working in the position locally providing academic support for young local pharmacists and sharing his time in completing his honours degree and clinical services in the community.
The student placement program will now be coordinated by Maree Nichols, who will be joining us in late March. Maree brings a number of years experience organizing placements for pharmacy students at the University of Queensland School of Pharmacy. She has decided to relocate to the warm and currently green NWQ.
In our Capital Works program, MICRRH has now a new three-bedroom accommodation in Boulia. This is added to the existing accommodation in Mt Isa, Normanton, Richmond, Longreach and Cloncurry. The Flinders Medical Centre is currently undergoing enlargement as a prime teaching practice for MICRRH and the JCU School of Medicine. The funding was obtained by MICRRH from the Office of Rural Health in DoHA and should be completed by early to mid April. Refurbishment for Longreach accommodation is currently being planned with NWQ PHC, again funded by the same source.
Local Health Service News
The Minister has just announced a $63 million hospital capital works program which will provide a new Outpatients and Dental Clinics building with an expansion and refurbishment of the Emergency Department. Unfortunately the initial funding for an entirely new hospital has seemed to dry up in this climate of financial decrepitude that the world is experiencing. The downturn in the mining industry has also had its affect with some downsizing in the local contractors business. The State election has not focused much upon this remote community apart from the announced capital works.
The "Superclinic" model proposed for Mt Isa has been slow in its uptake and currently under the auspices of a committee which includes health professionals, the State Member, NWQ PHC and QH. The Trial of Physicians' Assistant in Mt Isa will now commence sometime late April due to administrative delays in the US and Australia.
National Health News
The national agenda for health reform has seen the production of a number of reviews and interim reports. The Maternity Services Review seems to provide, if followed by government, a safe set of options for collaborative birthing services, including for rural Australia. There have been many contentious assertions by a range of parties which clouded the water somewhat, and over 400 submissions were put to the review. The issue of re-establishing safe rural and remote birthing services and the closure of rural maternity services is still one close to the heart of rural women and this appears to not part of the agenda.
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission Interim Report has been published to stimulate a national debate on the future direction of Australian Health System Reform. It will be completed by the end of April and provide Australia a marvelous opportunity to put aside partisan prejudices and provide something which can be unique, safe and equitable.
The Primary Health Care Strategy, the Review of the Rural Health Programs, COAG working papers and outpourings all add to the very loud hiss of government background noise surrounding Health. All are important and critical and hopefully will mesh to provide us with a workable system. Interesting? Very much so! Exhausting? Only if you read every word and make submissions to all reviews. The dialogue around health in Australia is important and interesting, a double curse maybe but to some definitely exciting.
There are many changes occurring within MICRRH, within the health environment locally, at State and Commonwealth levels. MICRRH is experiencing a change-over in staffing. Some of our staff have left the organisation and some have relocated to other communities but stay within the broader MICRRH family. Stephanie King has moved on to the Communities Partnership Project Officer position and is continuing her studies in Health Promotion and Community Development. Stephanie de la Rue has relocated to the Gold Coast with her husband but will continue to work on the Primary Health Care Research Education and Development program as well on some other specific projects.
Dr Louis Peachey will be moving back into clinical practice on the Atherton Tableland in July and the medical education program will be restructured to reflect the activities within this program. Qld Health has now become intimately involved with the local skills training program and a medical education committee has been set up with membership from both organisations and the RFDS to provide ongoing emergency skills training for health professionals across the region. The impact of this on the capacity and quality of emergency care is unique in remote Australia.
Our Academic Pharmacy program has recruited two part time Pharmacists, one Heather Volk, a senior experienced clinical and academic ex-rural pharmacist, now from Brisbane, who will oversee the roll out of the program. The second Pharmacist, David Herron, a rural JCU graduate who is working in the position locally providing academic support for young local pharmacists and sharing his time in completing his honours degree and clinical services in the community.
The student placement program will now be coordinated by Maree Nichols, who will be joining us in late March. Maree brings a number of years experience organizing placements for pharmacy students at the University of Queensland School of Pharmacy. She has decided to relocate to the warm and currently green NWQ.
In our Capital Works program, MICRRH has now a new three-bedroom accommodation in Boulia. This is added to the existing accommodation in Mt Isa, Normanton, Richmond, Longreach and Cloncurry. The Flinders Medical Centre is currently undergoing enlargement as a prime teaching practice for MICRRH and the JCU School of Medicine. The funding was obtained by MICRRH from the Office of Rural Health in DoHA and should be completed by early to mid April. Refurbishment for Longreach accommodation is currently being planned with NWQ PHC, again funded by the same source.
Local Health Service News
The Minister has just announced a $63 million hospital capital works program which will provide a new Outpatients and Dental Clinics building with an expansion and refurbishment of the Emergency Department. Unfortunately the initial funding for an entirely new hospital has seemed to dry up in this climate of financial decrepitude that the world is experiencing. The downturn in the mining industry has also had its affect with some downsizing in the local contractors business. The State election has not focused much upon this remote community apart from the announced capital works.
The "Superclinic" model proposed for Mt Isa has been slow in its uptake and currently under the auspices of a committee which includes health professionals, the State Member, NWQ PHC and QH. The Trial of Physicians' Assistant in Mt Isa will now commence sometime late April due to administrative delays in the US and Australia.
National Health News
The national agenda for health reform has seen the production of a number of reviews and interim reports. The Maternity Services Review seems to provide, if followed by government, a safe set of options for collaborative birthing services, including for rural Australia. There have been many contentious assertions by a range of parties which clouded the water somewhat, and over 400 submissions were put to the review. The issue of re-establishing safe rural and remote birthing services and the closure of rural maternity services is still one close to the heart of rural women and this appears to not part of the agenda.
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission Interim Report has been published to stimulate a national debate on the future direction of Australian Health System Reform. It will be completed by the end of April and provide Australia a marvelous opportunity to put aside partisan prejudices and provide something which can be unique, safe and equitable.
The Primary Health Care Strategy, the Review of the Rural Health Programs, COAG working papers and outpourings all add to the very loud hiss of government background noise surrounding Health. All are important and critical and hopefully will mesh to provide us with a workable system. Interesting? Very much so! Exhausting? Only if you read every word and make submissions to all reviews. The dialogue around health in Australia is important and interesting, a double curse maybe but to some definitely exciting.
Dr. Dennis Pashen
Associate Professor.
Associate Professor.
