+61 2 4924 8000   Login

 

> OUTREACH > Outreach Programs  

Outreach Programs

 

 

    

Rural Doctors Network (RDN) administers Health Outreach programs designed to increase access to medical, allied health and nursing services for people living in remote, rural, regional, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. RDN administers the Australian Government's Health Outreach programs in NSW and the ACT.

Outreach programs funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care:

Funded through other pathways:

 

Scroll down for information on individual programs.

Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF)

The aim of the Rural Health Outreach Fund (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 the Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic Disease Program (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, the Visiting Optometrist Scheme (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)

The Ear and Eye Surgical Support Program (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 (find out the MM score of your town by searching the Heath Workforce Locator).

Healthy Ears, Better Hearing, Better Listening (HEBHBL)

The aim of the Healthy Ears, Better Hearing, Better Listening (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 Aboriginal Eye Health Coordination (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.

Western NSW Eye Health Partnership (WEHP)

The Western NSW Eye Health Partnership (WEHP) is a collaborative initiative working to improve eye health outcomes for Aboriginal people across the Western NSW region.

Administered by Rural Doctors Network (RDN) and funded by The Fred Hollows Foundation through its Indigenous Australia Program, the Partnership brings together Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs), Local Health Districts (LHDs), Primary Health Networks (PHNs), and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).

Together, these partners work within an integrated framework that draws on local knowledge and community priorities. By strengthening culturally responsive pathways to care, the Partnership aims to increase access to eye health services and reduce the rate of avoidable vision loss in Aboriginal communities across Western NSW.

RDN is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DoHAC) to administer the delivery of health Outreach services to remote, rural and regional areas, as well as to metropolitan and non-metropolitan 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.