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Outreach Programs

 

 

    

Outreach Programs

 

 

Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF)

The aim of RHOF is to improve health outcomes for people living in regional, rural and remote locations by supporting the delivery of outreach health activities.

 

Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic Disease Program (MOICDP)

The aim of MOICDP is to improve access to health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with chronic disease. Multidisciplinary clinical services are provided by a range of health professionals including medical specialists, GPs, nurses and allied health professionals, for best practice chronic disease prevention, treatment, management and follow-up.

 

Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS)

First established in 1975, VOS supports optometrists to deliver outreach optometric services to locations which would not otherwise have ready access to primary eye care.

 

Ear and Eye Surgical Support Program (EESS)

EESSS aims to reduce the instances of avoidable blindness and deafness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations through expediting access to eye and/or ear surgery.  Patients who reside in MM3 – MM7 locations are eligible for EESS services.

 

Healthy Ears, Better Hearing, Better Listening (HEBHBL)

The aim of the HEBHBL program is to increase access to a range of ear and hearing health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, youth and young adults (0-21 years) for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of ear and hearing health conditions. There are no MMM location restrictions to access this service.

 

Aboriginal Eye Health Coordination (AEHC) Program

In addition to outreach programs that deliver clinics, RDN implements the AEHC Program that is designed to improve the coordination of eye health services for Aboriginal people in NSW and the ACT. This is achieved by forming partnerships, identifying needs and implementing solutions.

RDN’s AEHC Program has developed stakeholder groups in more than a dozen regions that comprise ACCHSs, LHDs, PHNs, NGOs and other eye health stakeholders. These regional groups identify priority gaps in eye health pathways for Aboriginal people and seek solutions that may include an outreach service, negotiated referral arrangements with local providers or other systems improvements.

A statewide Advisory Group for Aboriginal Eye Health has also been formed as part of the AEHC Program and includes key state and national eye health stakeholders that inform policy through their respective networks provide input to the program.

 

Ear Health Coordination Program (EHC)

The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) and NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) have partnered to deliver the Department of Health’s Ear Health Coordination Program in NSW and the ACT.
 
The primary objective of the Ear Health Coordination Program (EHC) is to enhance the monitoring and treatment of ear and hearing health in primary care. A particular focus is to support access to quality, culturally safe ear and hearing health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children before they commence primary school and youth. It is anticipated that the activities delivered over the lifetime of the project will contribute to improving the coordination of services that support and respond to the ear health needs of Aboriginal children across NSW and the ACT at both state and regional levels. 

 

Western NSW Eye Health Partnership (WEHP)

The Western NSW Eye Health Partnership is a collaborative partnership with ACCHSs, LHD, PHN and NGOs that aims to increase access to eye health services and improve vision and eye health for Aboriginal people across the Western NSW region. Partners work together within an integrated framework drawing on local knowledge, and work with stakeholders across the region to achieve more equitable support and culturally responsive pathways to eye health for Aboriginal people. The Partnership aims to increase access and delivery of eye services to reduce the rate of avoidable vision loss in Aboriginal people in Western NSW. This program is funded by the Fred Hollows Foundation. 

 

What is a MM score?

The Modified Monash Model (MMM) defines an area according to geographical remoteness and town size. The model measures on a scale of Modified Monash (MM) category MM 1 to MM 7. MM 1 is a major city and MM 7 is very remote. You can find out the MM score of your town by searching the Heath Workforce Locator.

 

RDN is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC) to administer the delivery of health Outreach services to regional, remote and Aboriginal communities in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). We also collaborate with other organisations and funding bodies to support Outreach projects.