COMMUNITY NEWS
Eye-opening service
for Indigenous patients Bringing health care to
Indigenous patients who have poor
vision and eye conditions can now
access specialists and support through
the Mildura Base Hospital Aboriginal
Health Unit.
The new partnership with Vision Australia
offers monthly appointments with an orthoptist,
prioritising patients who are on dialysis.
Aboriginal Health Unit manager Steve Portelli
said eye health was a serious issue for
indigenous people.
“Diabetes is one of the biggest killers in the
Aboriginal community, and people often end
up with vision loss and other eye conditions,”
Mr Portelli said.
“But Aboriginal people often won’t engage
with services that can help because of the
shame factor or because they don’t know
where to go.
“We are breaking down those barriers through
our partnership with Vision Australia, so people
feel comfortable accessing the service.”
Vision Australia service engagement
consultant Sally Edwards said the partnership
shows what can be achieved if services are
Dedicated volunteer
hands over the reins
16 The Ramsay Way 2018 | 03
passionate and work together for the benefit of
the community.
“The AHU has built connections with local
indigenous people and services and can
identify hospital patients who need assistance
with their vision but may not know about or be
able to access Vision Australia services without
support,” Ms Edwards said.
“Sometimes all a person needs to correct their
vision is a new pair of glasses, and we can refer
them to an optometrist.
“If they have ongoing issues that glasses can’t
fix, we can help with equipment and strategies
to make daily activities easier, like improved
lighting, contrast strips and tactile markings in
the home, magnification devices and adaptive
technology.”
the bush: 10 years of
oncology outreach
Melbourne radiation oncologist Dr Andrew See has been
recognised for notching up ten years of monthly radiation
oncology outreach visits to Mildura, Victoria.
During that time, Dr See has undertaken more than 6,000 consultations
and boarded more than 2,000 flights to provide this valuable service.
Dr See has a strong interest in urological, breast, and general malignancies.
He also contributes to the fortnightly Mildura Multidisciplinary Cancer
Care team meetings and provides robust, current, and evidence-based
treatment recommendations.
Dr See functions with a strong collaborative approach, to ensure seamless
coordination of care for rural patients requiring radiation treatment. He
conducts fortnightly telehealth consults to enrich the care provided against
his monthly face-to-face visits.
Dr See was recognised in the 2018 Victorian Rural Health Awards, taking
out the Medical Specialist Award for his ongoing commitment to health
outcomes for people in rural areas.
Mildura Base Hospital staff member Kaye Matthews submitted the nomination
and referenced the overwhelming volume of consumer testimonials and
support from the hospital Executive and health care professionals in
acknowledging Dr See and his contribution to cancer care.
An Australian long jump athlete who underwent robotic surgery at
Westmead Private Hospital earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Gold
Coast Commonwealth Games.
25 year old Taylor Doyle suffered constant pain caused by a genetic condition called
Tuberous Scleroisis Complex (TSC). She had not been able to train for 18 months
following the Rio Olympics, where she received a silver medal.
She sought advice from Prof Andrew Brooks and Prof Howard Lau, Urologists at
Westmead Private Hospital. After discussing the best treatment plan for Taylor Prof
Books and Lau made the decision to undertake a partial nephrectomy, using robotic
technology in November last year.
This meant less pain, less risk, less scarring and a quicker recovery time for Taylor.
Within 8 weeks she was back to training, with her focus on making the Commonwealth
Games. She completed in the T38 long jump and received a Bronze medal.
Gold
medallist
inspires at
North West Deb Morris and Simon Patmore
Australia’s first para-snowboarder to win a medal at a
Winter Paralympics has visited North West Private Hospital
to inspire staff and visitors.
Simon Patmore won gold in the men’s snowboard cross event at
Pyeongchang in South Korea earlier this year.
The Queenslander was born with Erb’s palsy, which caused nerve
damage in his left arm. His mother, Deb Morris, is a switchboard
operator at North West Private Hospital.
Volunteer Maria Neave has just retired
as President of the ‘Friends of the
Hospital’ at Peel Health Campus (PHC).
The Mandurah grandmother has twice been a
patient at PHC in recent years and her husband
has also used the hospital services. However, it
was the care her ageing mother received in the
Emergency Department in 2002 that prompted
her to become a member of the 140 strong
volunteer group.
‘Friends of the Hospital’ plays an invaluable role
at PHC by:
• driving renal patients to and from the hospital;
• accompanying patients from the admissions
area to the Day Procedure Unit and ward areas;
• providing information and directions to patients
and visitors;
• making up admission/comfort packs for
patients.
In recent years the group has raised money to
fund wheelchairs, beds, simulation mannequins
and more recently a $10,000 coffee machine for
the oncology and haematology service.
PHC CEO Dr Margaret Sturdy thanked Maria
for her term as President and welcomed newly
appointed President Denise Rouse, known to
everyone as “Dee”.
“Maria is very comfortable she is handing the
‘Friends’ over to a very capable successor.”
Maria Neave with patient Rhonda Moroney who uses the donated
$10,000 coffee machine while undergoing chemotherapy
Paralympian undergoes
robotic surgery