For families raising kids in the outback, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) is a lifeline.
A quick trip to the shops for nappies, formula or children’s pain relief means hours on the road, and an appointment with a GP is only possible if a clinic is within reach.
It’s an everyday struggle that comes with rural life, but the RFDS helps to ease this struggle with our PHC clinics.
Each week, the RFDS flies general practitioners, nurse practitioners, midwives, nurses, mental health and allied health professionals to remote clinics across the state to deliver a broad range of services.
Whether it's providing antenatal support to expecting mothers, routine health checks on newborns, immunisations, growth and development assessments on young children or referrals to specialist care, the team works tirelessly to help those vulnerable or those who might otherwise go without it.
RFDS PHC Nurse Manager -Primary Health Care Karenlee Hess is a dedicated nurse practitioner who leads the PHC teams at the Mount Isa and Cairns bases. Combined, they serve 23 clinics across almost half of the state and have a passion for child health and development.
Karenlee joined the RFDS PHC team in January after working 20 years as a remote nurse and nurse practitioner in the Northern Territory.
“For families living in remote communities, their biggest challenge is distance and accessibility,” Karenlee said.
“So, when the team visits a community, we provide support.”
Karenlee said for residents in communities like Ravenswood, Pentland, Greenvale, Gregory Downs and Einsleigh, the RFDS might be the only visiting clinic.
“For communities who have no access to health services, the RFDS primary health care team will travel out with about 100kg worth of gear and set up a day clinic in a facility such as a community hall,” Karenlee said
“During a clinic, the team might pick up if a child isn’t meeting their development milestones, or if an expecting mother has any early risk factors that may affect the pregnancy”.
“By identifying concerns at an early stage, we can provide the right care and put plans in place to help prevent an emergency aeromedical retrieval. If primary health care is done well, it can have such a positive flow on effect”.
“It’s support for mums, dads, children, and grandparents. We support the family through every life journey and throughout the life span.”
In the last financial year, Queensland primary health care teams delivered more than 24,750 consultations statewide.
With no signs of slowing down, the team is determined to expand further with a focus on enhancing telehealth services, improving management of chronic diseases, and implementing Indigenous care-focused clinics.
This holistic approach of offering medical and community support ensures outback families can keep kids safe and healthy right from the start.
