10th National Rural Health Conference

• Date:

  17 - 20 May 2009

• Location:

  Cairns, Queensland

• Category:

  Possibility of Indigenous content

Overview

The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) is calling for abstracts for the 10th National Rural Health Conference.

The NRHA is the peak body working to improve the health of Australians in rural and remote areas. It is comprised of 28 Member Bodies, representing both health consumers and service providers in non-metropolitan areas.

The themes for this conference are:

• Conquering Indigenous disadvantage and bringing health equity to the people of rural and remote areas.
  Rural and remote Australia can provide a level of health and lifestyle equal to anything in the world. For this to be the case, we need infrastructure and systems to meet the challenges of illness prevention, chronic disease, ageing and the tyrannies of distance.
• Constructing a resilient response to political and environmental climates.
  How rural health can prosper amid new political realities. Partnering with governments. The role of changing weather patterns on rural and remote health and wellbeing. Exchanging ideas with our Pacific neighbours.
• Consulting our communities on health.
  Evidence shows that effective health systems and services are developed and managed within the community. "Nothing about us without us" is the cry. How do the successful models of community engagement work? What are the traps - and the costs?
• Collaborating in health care teams and on service models that work.
  How to make health programs ‘fit for service' in rural and remote areas. Building the healthcare teams that will work for rural areas. Social and economic determinants: moving from research evidence to better interventions. ‘Arts in health' and community wellbeing.
• Celebrating the sector.
  An invitation to reflect on the successes and failures of 20 years of the rural and remote health sector. How and where did we make a difference? Using experience to work smarter in rural and remote health. Honouring the innovators and the hard workers.

Conference registrations are now open

HealthInfoNet Cafe

This conference was organised by the National Rural Health Alliance and held in Cairns, 17-20 May 2009. The conference was intended for anyone who had a personal or professional interest in the health and well-being of people in rural and remote areas. Indigenous health and well-being was once again a major focus of the conference.

Deputy Director Richard Midford and Senior Research Officer Ineke Krom from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet conducted a HealthInfoNet cafe at the conference, showing the attendees how the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet can help support people working, studying or interested in Australian Indigenous health. Between four and seven laptops with Internet connection were available for use for the conference attendees. The Internet cafe was set up with support from Beyondblue, the national depression initiative.

On Monday 18 May Richard Midford did a presentation titled: Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet: bridging the gap between research and practice and policy in Indigenous health.

Contacts

The National Rural Health Alliance
Ph: (02) 6285 4660
Fax: (02) 6285 4670
Email: conference@ruralhealth.org.au

Links

• View website: 10th National Rural Health Conference
• View website: National Rural Health Alliance Inc