MPHN presents at the 18th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide

This week, Ryan, Emma and Jane G had the privilege of representing Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network at the 18th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide, joining health professionals, researchers, policymakers and community leaders from across Australia.

A strong message throughout the conference was the importance of genuine community engagement. We heard inspiring examples of locally led approaches improving health and wellbeing outcomes across rural, regional and remote communities.

Another recurring theme was that resilience should not be mistaken for adequacy. Rural communities continue to achieve remarkable outcomes despite persistent inequities in access, funding and service availability. Greater investment is needed to address these disparities and build on the strengths already present within communities.

MPHN was proud to present on:

• Listening as Evidence: Community Field Notes for Rural Health Planning

• Linked General Practice Data for Chronic Disease Surveillance in Murrumbidgee

• Combining Modelled and Linked Data to Understand Youth Mental Health Need and Service Use in Murrumbidgee

• Community-led Strategies for Suicide Prevention in Rural Communities

• Supporting Older People Experiencing Suicidality

• Strengthening Rural Aged Care Through Proactive Nurse-led Primary Care Models

We also presented our poster, Using Local Data to Strengthen and Align Palliative Care Strategies in Murrumbidgee.

We’re returning to Murrumbidgee with new ideas, valuable connections and renewed enthusiasm to keep improving health outcomes across our region.

The conference reinforced something we see every day: some of the best solutions are locally led, informed by community voices and strengthened by investment that reflects the needs of rural, regional and remote Australia.