National Rural Health Commissioner and DoHAC representatives tour RDN’s Collaborative Care projects in Snowy Valleys

Adj. Prof. Ruth Stewart at Gundagai Medical Centre with GPs Dr Ryan Bulger and Dr Barb Cameron (right) and PHN reps Alanah Christie, Caroline Holtby, and RDN’s Collaborative Care Program Lead, Justyn Walker (left)

On April 23, RDN hosted Adjunct Professor Ruth Stewart, the National Rural Health Commissioner, on a tour of our Collaborative Care project in the Snowy Valleys and Gundagai areas. Accompanying the Commissioner were representatives from the Department of Health and Aged Care who have provided funding support for the project through the Innovative Models of Care grant program. This program was delivered in partnership with local GPs and allied health providers, Murrumbidgee PHN, and Murrumbidgee LHD. 

The Commissioner met with three local GPs who had trialled the Shared Medical Appointment model for patients with chronic illness. It is the first time this model has been trialled in the Murrumbidgee region. The Commissioner also met with Snowy Valley councillors, with the Aboriginal Health Team at Tumut Hospital, and with over 20 other local health practitioners. 

Professor Stewart is a strong advocate for the value of innovative models of care in rural communities where the health system is not able to provide the services these communities need. 

In the inaugural National Rural and Remote Health Awards Address she delivered at Parliament House, Canberra, in 2023, Professor Stewart praised the power of collaboration, telling the audience that "in remote and rural areas the challenges are unique, but the power of coming together to address these challenges is unparalleled."