Fiona McKern, Kym Ramsay, Jason Bennie, Narelle Mills, Monica McInnes and Caroline Holtby at the National Rural Health Conference in Perth.

Congratulations to the Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network team and collaborators for their outstanding presentations at the National Rural Health Conference in Perth last week.

Narelle Mills, Executive Integration and Partnerships, presented on Enhancing Paediatrics in Primary Care, focusing on the critical work of empowering GPs to improve health outcomes for children across the Murrumbidgee region. She was joined by Kylie Falciani of Marathon Health to present A collaborative approach to physical health and wellbeing within psychosocial supports, providing insights on commissioning psychosocial supports for people living with severe mental illness.

Kym Ramsay, Collaborative Commissioning Community Pharmacist, developed a poster on Rural Pharmacy Screening for Chronic Diseases and his efforts in expanding the role of pharmacists in screening for conditions like COPD and CHF in rural communities.

Monica McInnes, Strategic Initiatives and Engagement Advisor, presented on Reducing Mental Health Stigma through Storytelling, highlighting the success of the Tell it Well series in raising awareness and fostering community connection. She was joined by Carolyn Loton, Juntos Marketing Director, to discuss the Connect, Your Way mental health campaign, which has increased awareness and access to support services by putting lived experience at the forefront of mental health communications.

Fiona McKern, Senior Lead Collaborative Commissioning, developed a poster on Innovation and Partnerships in Heart Failure Diagnosis, highlighting the success of the Outreach Heart Failure Diagnostic Clinic in improving early diagnosis and care in rural communities.

Dr Jason Bennie, Chief Data Officer, delivered a presentation on the Rising Trends of Homelessness in the Murrumbidgee Region and developed a poster on Community Voices in Primary Healthcare. His research is paving the way for better healthcare access and support for the most vulnerable populations in rural areas.

The dedication and passion of the MPHN team and their partners continue to make a lasting difference in healthcare for rural and remote communities. We are incredibly proud of your work and the impact you are having.