Linking with Rural and Remote Australian Communities
The Rural Health Education Foundation links with rural and remote Australian communities in a number of ways. Foremost of these is our extensive national satellite television network, which was originally established in 1992 and has grown to include sites in every Australian state and territory, including Norfolk Island. The purpose of these sites is to provide ready and free access by rural and remote health and medical professionals to the Foundation’s educational programs, enhancing their professional development opportunities. The satellite receiving sites are located in public and private hospitals, health clinics, Indigenous medical clinics and services, divisions of general practice, remote health centres, universities and TAFE colleges, government telecentres (in Western Australia) and aged care facilities. Each site has a volunteer co-ordinator who liaises with the Rural Health Education Foundation and with their local health and medical professionals. The Foundation has made a special commitment to improving access to its programs by health professionals in remote locations and in medical services that serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The Foundation has an active program of exhibiting at health, medical and educational conferences which take place around Australia, with staff of the Foundation frequently making presentations at these conferences.
Community Education Television Programs
The Foundation has a developed and produced a number of health educational television programs which are suitable for community education, and which have been extensively broadcast not only by the Foundation but by other television services such as SBS Television, National Indigenous Television Service (NITV) and the Aurora Community Television Channel. Most of these deal with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues. A list of current community education programs can be found here. These programs are valuable not only for health and medical education, but also for community leaders. They are excellent resources for both high school and university teaching and are widely used in educational institutions.
Filming in Rural and Remote Communities
In its programs, the Rural Health Education Foundation strives to represent the wide diversity of rural and remote Australia. As programs are developed, the Foundation’s staff have established strong links with a number of specific communities, organisations and individuals. These important connections enable the Foundation to explore through filmed case studies numerous initiatives that best represent these communities’ efforts to manage health issues in positive and creative ways. This enables a wider sharing of these successful community-based solutions.
For a detailed list of Rural Health Education Foundation programs with filmed community-based case studies, click here.