Aged care across the Northern Rivers received a major boost last week with my announcement of three new Aged Care beds in Kyogle and the unveiling of construction plans for an additional 32 beds at Crowley Care Services in Ballina.
This is wonderful news for our community.
The new home care places which were made possible by Federal Government funding of more than $2 million annually means our seniors can remain living in the local area and our community.
As readers know, the Northern Rivers has an ageing population and it is important to ensure they can stay in our community close to family and friends.
Since my last column, the Federal Government has announced a comprehensive $300 million package in response to the National Ice Taskforce that is designed to reduce demand for Ice and reduce the harm it causes, while continuing efforts to disrupt supply.
Ice is playing havoc in many regional communities, including ours. More often than not, it is healthcare workers who are on the frontline.
I am particularly pleased that the Government has picked up one of the points that came out of the Ice Forum I organised in Lismore that ‘local problems need local solutions’.
Our local North Coast Primary Health Network will be funded to boost local alcohol and drug treatment services and help reduce the demand for this very dangerous drug.
The package also includes significant investment in regional and rural areas where the Taskforce Report indicated service gaps and a misalignment between service priorities and community need.
This is an all-of-government approach that we need to tackle the problem of Ice. We cannot arrest our way out of this - it is much more than simply a law-and-order issue. We must also work to reduce the demand for the drug.
I am very happy that the new GP clinic in Coraki has opened and the provision of other allied health services in the mid-Richmond as well as in Evans Head.
I had been working with these communities and the North Coast Primary Health Network (NCPHN) to provide these health services and I am glad they are now being delivered.
The new Maria Clinic in Coraki will start as a part-time service, building up to a full-time as the practice grows.
In addition to the new clinic, the Coraki and Evans Head communities can now access the services of a psychologist, speech therapist and occupational therapists thanks to a new agreement reached between the Federal Government and NCPHN.
I would particularly like to acknowledge Chris Clark and all the staff at the Primary health network in securing these services.
Finally, I would like to thank Chris Crawford on his retirement from the North Coast Area Health Service and Prof Lesley Barclay as the Director of the University Centre for Rural Health North Coast.
They have both done an outstanding job for health services across the Northern Rivers and our community.
I would like to wish them both all the best for the future.
