Country SA PHN Newsletter November 2024
As yet another year draws to a close, I would like to reflect on Country SA PHN’s achievements and acknowledge colleagues and collaborators who make those achievements possible. It has been another productive year for Country SA PHN. We are proud of the fact that 86.43% of Country SA PHN’s total expenditure was used for frontline service delivery to commissioned service providers to directly support the health and wellbeing of country South Australians in 2023-24.
Guided by our strategic plan and underpinned by our values, Country SA PHN has continued to effectively commission health and wellbeing programs to support country South Australians. I would like to thank all our service providers and their teams in country communities for the magnificent support they are providing.
This activity is showcased through our 2023-24 annual report. I commend this report and encourage you all to read it to learn more about Country SA PHN and the support we have provided to country South Australians. Please find our annual report here.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and wellbeing is at the core of everything we do and one of our seven key priority areas. We acknowledge the wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders that is passed down through generations. We recognise their relationship with the land, waters and seas and the importance of self-determination for the health and wellbeing of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are grateful for the relationships we have with Aboriginal Controlled Health Organisations and other service providers as they provide culturally appropriate activities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people right across rural and remote South Australia. Our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group has continued to support our organisation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in country South Australia as they have continued their work towards our Innovate RAP.
Our other priority areas of Aged Care, Alcohol and Other Drugs, Digital Health, Health Workforce, Mental Health and Population Health have continued to be at the forefront of our activities. This breadth of priorities coupled with the complexity of servicing a geographically large rural and remote region provide a unique set of challenges. It requires us to be agile and innovative and to think outside the square to ensure that we are continuing to close the gap in health inequity for all South Australians living outside metropolitan Adelaide.
I would like to thank our Country SA PHN Board for their strong stewardship throughout 2024. In particular I would like to recognise the unwavering support of our Chair Dr Simon Lockwood. I would also like to acknowledge and thank outgoing Board member Dr Peter Rischbieth who has been a Country SA PHN Board member since 2015. As a rural GP and past President of the Rural Doctors Association of South Australia, Peter provided invaluable insight, advice and guidance to Country SA PHN. I wish Dr Rischbieth all the best for the future. Our thanks also to Devinia Binell who joined the Board in February 2023 but stepped down in July 2024 to take a position interstate. Devinia is a Banggarla-Kokatha-Wirangu woman who made significant contributions but most particularly through her passion for, and guidance in, Aboriginal Health. Devinia shared this knowledge with our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group - supporting Country SA PHN to create a culturally appropriate RAP. I wish Devinia well.
I would like to welcome to the Country SA PHN Board Ms Antoinette Liddell. Antoinette has been an AHPRA registered Aboriginal Health Practitioner since 2015 and is also an Aboriginal Health Researcher with the University of Adelaide, Rural Clinical School. She is a Board Director with the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners. Antoinette is a proud Wajarri woman of the mid-west region of Western Australia. Her passion for improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, combined with her clinical knowledge, experience and leadership skills will be invaluable to our organisation and the rural and remote communities we serve.
Of course, our support for the health and wellbeing of country South Australians would not be possible without the commitment of our dedicated staff. We are indeed fortunate to have such a strong team across all areas of the organisation who work tirelessly to support our vision of improved health equity for all country South Australians. So it is last, but by all means not least, that I thank all Country SA PHN staff for their contributions throughout 2024 to the communities we serve.
I wish you all a safe and peaceful holiday and look forward to collaborating and engaging with you all again in the new year.
