Media Release
4 December 2009
Indigenous health initiative celebrates first anniversary
Remote Are Health Corps (RAHC) reaches 250th health professional placement in the Northern Territory
The Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC) today celebrates the anniversary of its first health professional placement in a remote community in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia.
On December 4th 2008, a RAHC nurse from the New South Wales Central Coast headed out to a Central Australian community for a short-term position and a brand new adventure. What began with one has turned into 250 health professional placements around the NT in just a year.
General Manager Dr Lisa Studdert says celebrating RAHC’s anniversary and reaching the 250 milestone is a great achievement for the RAHC team and its partners.
“Everyday the capacity for RAHC to provide healthcare professionals continues to grow and our ability to support primary health services in the Northern Territory continues to strengthen.”
“Everyday the capacity for RAHC to provide healthcare professionals continues to grow and our ability to support primary health services in the Northern Territory continues to strengthen.”
“Urban-based health professionals are responding enthusiastically to the opportunity to make a difference and be part of this effort to help close the gap and we hope that even more health professionals will be encouraged to take up the challenge and get involved with RAHC in the future.”
RAHC’s 250th health professional placement was Aaron Richardson, a registered nurse from Brisbane. Aaron headed out on assignment to Ampilatwatja North East of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, his second placement in that community and fourth placement with RAHC in the Northern Territory.
“I always wanted to work in a remote community and my experiences with RAHC have cemented my desire to be part of the effort to improve Indigenous health outcomes”, says Aaron.
“It’s been such a wonderful experience being accepted in the communities I’ve worked in. It was great to go back to Ampilatwatja and work with the clinic staff and community members again.”
Repeat placements now account for more than a third of RAHC placements. RAHC aims to strongly encourage and support the growing pool of professionals doing repeat placements as they represent a growing resource of experienced, skilled and respected remote health practitioners that are available to the health services in NT communities.
RAHC recruits general practitioners, registered nurses, dental and allied health professionals. Assignments are paid and run for periods of three weeks to three months. This enables health professionals to maintain their personal and professional obligations at home while participating in efforts to expand and strengthen primary health services in remote communities.
To find out more about RAHC click HERE.
