A new health training hub at Notre Dame’s Broome Campus is set to transform health in the Kimberley, addressing the growing shortage of health care professionals in the region by substantially increasing training opportunities for nursing, midwifery, and allied health students and professionals.
Notre Dame will lead a consortium of universities to establish the Kimberley University Department of Rural Health (KUDRH) as part of a $54.4 million Federal Government initiative announced in April 2017.
The initiative will provide a significant boost for the Kimberley region, ensuring that health students and professionals have a greater opportunity to live, study and work in Broome and in other communities in the Kimberley.
The University’s Broome Campus will receive about $8.5 million – a share of the $26 million in funding set aside specifically for the creation of additional University Departments of Rural Health.
Notre Dame’s KUDRH, which is due to commence operation in 2018, will provide training and undertake research focused on advancing health outcomes for Aboriginal and rural people. It will provide high quality health training and support in the Kimberley through a range of activities including the following:
- collaboration with primary health networks and Aboriginal health organisations to implement a model of support assisting and empowering undergraduate students to study and return to work in the Kimberley;
- increasing community and student-led rural clinical placements;
- transition support to rural and remote practices for those new to the Kimberley;
- professional development opportunities for the existing workforce; and
increased research relating to rural and remote health and inter-professional practice.
Professor Juli Coffin, Head of Notre Dame’s Broome Campus, welcomed the announcement. “The Federal Government has recognised the need for a multi-disciplinary health training hub in the
Kimberley to meet the region’s growing demands for highly skilled allied health professionals,” she said.
“It will not only provide greater access for students in an Indigenous health context, but also a rich personal and professional experience that you can’t find anywhere else in Australia.”
Notre Dame Vice Chancellor, Professor Celia Hammond said the University was delighted to lead this initiative.
“It will provide opportunities for our students and collaborating universities. We are confident it will make a difference to addressing health workforce shortages and needs within the Kimberley region, and continue our long-standing commitment and presence in Broome,” Professor Hammond said.
From pages 20 to 21 from Issue 8: ‘Aboriginal’ of The Record Magazine