Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is an entirely preventable disease affecting the delicate valves of the heart. While it has been eradicated in the majority of the Australian population for over six decades, it is sadly still prevalent in our First Nations’ communities. Once a person has developed Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) or RHD, they require a painful monthly injection until they are 21 years of age or for 10 years to avoid ARF recurrence or further damage to the heart.
In partnership with paediatric cardiologist Dr Ben Reeves, Erin extensively partnered with consumers to design a model that now helps children choose how they want to receive the injection and how best to distract them. But make no mistake, kindness is key!
Not only has the service drastically improved attendance rates, but it is also building an empowered group of health consumers into the future. And keeping them happy and healthy children in the mean
Starting at a new hospital in the area, proud Ngunnawal woman and Clinical Midwife Consultant Cassandra Nest noticed that very few women were identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander when accessing the Midwifery Group Practice.
This seemingly small observation was the catalyst for transformational change within Gold Coast Health’s Women’s, Newborns and Children’s Service as they empowered Cassandra to work alongside the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to co-design a new model of care that best meets their maternal and child health needs.
Gold Coast Health’s Waijungbah Jarjums—which means place of mother and child—is proudly supported by Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Clinical Excellence Queensland and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Division.
Rural and remote communities, in many ways, are the heart of Queensland. Without the hard-working people living in these communities, our agriculture industry wouldn’t exist and supermarkets would be devoid of fresh meat and produce.
With the tyranny of distance, health services are finding innovative ways to ensure that these communities receive equal care to those living in metropolitan areas. And receive it in ways that suit their needs.
Rather than having to delay life-changing investigative procedures like exercise stress testing and halter monitoring, the power of telehealth and some very dedicated clinicians is ensuring these communities receive timely access to care.
And keeping the heart of Queensland beating.
Every second night when most people are sitting down for dinner or tucking their children into bed, Anthony swipes himself into the purpose-built Renal Home Dialysis Service and inserts a dialysis needle into his left arm, before settling in for a night of administering his own life-sustaining treatment.
The consistent monotony of the machines cut through the silence, acting as a soundtrack of his regimented evenings. Each pump taking him one step closer to health. To time spent kicking the footy with his son in the park, to a kidney transplant, to his future.
Supported by Clinical Excellence Queensland, Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service’s game changing service puts patients at the centre of their care and allows them to access treatment when and how it suits them.
In the dead of night, the hum of dialysis is Anthony’s sound of hope.