Outreach services in Inverell, NSW

The Healthy Ears - Better Hearing, Better Listening (HEBHBL) program in Inverell provides Aboriginal children and their families an opportunity to improve communication skills in a range of settings, including regular clinics at Inverell Community Health and Armajun Aboriginal Health Service.

Through the HEBHBL program, a speech pathologist regularly visits clinics and services in Inverell to provide vital support to the community and children. Speech pathologists conduct visits to playgroups such as ‘The Linking Together Centre’ to conduct assessments, provide hints and tips, book appointments for one-on-one follow-ups and to talk about the role of a speech pathologist. These playgroup visits are promoted on Facebook and families come along often to ask questions and share concerns about their child’s speech and language.

The HEBHBL funding has also allowed speech pathology students to have increased involvement with Aboriginal families while on their university placements in Inverell.

Alongside the HEBHBL program, the Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic Disease Program (MOICDP) has supported a new occupational therapy service to join the existing speech pathology services, forming a unique, multidisciplinary team and adding to the holistic health offerings.

Pictured: L-R: Megan Walsh (speech pathologist), Bernice McGrady (Aboriginal Early Years Program Pathfinders), Larissa Matheson (occupational therapist), Phoebe Newsome (speech pathologist), Ellen Niemiec (student speech pathologist, University of Newcastle)