New Rehab Service Keeps Townsville Patients Close to Home
National health reform is delivering a fresh approach to patient rehabilitation and helping to deliver more services closer to home for North Queenslanders.
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Joint Release
The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
Senator Jan McLucas
Senator for Queensland
The Hon Geoff Wilson MP
Queensland Minister for Health
15 September 2011National health reform is delivering a fresh approach to patient rehabilitation and helping to deliver more services closer to home for North Queenslanders.
Commonwealth Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon and Queensland Minister for Health Geoff Wilson today announced a new $14 million rehabilitation centre would be built in Townsville to support people who have had strokes or those with disabilities.
“Providing local communities with the resources they need for better health services, closer to home, is a key focus for the Gillard Government’s national health reform,” Minister Roxon said.
“This new rehabilitation centre will mean that locals will be able to receive treatment here in North Queensland, instead of having to head down to Brisbane.
“When fully established the new centre will deliver almost 9000 occasions of service per year – equivalent to 13 hospital beds.”
Minister Wilson said the Gillard and Bligh Governments were investing $14 million to develop the centre and to place resources in the community.
“Community Rehab NQ will provide a community rehabilitation service based in Townsville with outreach to Mount Isa,” Minister Wilson said.
“This is an investment of $14 million to develop the centre and to place resources in the community.
“It’s another way in which the Bligh and Gillard Governments are working together to deliver more services sooner, closer to home for Queenslanders.”
Mr Wilson said the innovative project was a great example of the Government investing in doing things differently.
“This is a revolutionary approach in which GPs, researchers and students will work together to find new ways of delivering faster, better care for patients.
“The service will provide clinical placements for 1660 students, helping to upskill the existing workforce and train the health workers of the future.”
Senator for Queensland Jan McLucas explained that more than 12 research projects will be undertaken each year through the new centre, looking into such debilitating conditions as stroke and Parkinson’s Disease.
“This Government has been a huge supporter of medical research, and it’s so important that we’ll have new local research projects here in Townsville,” Senator McLucas said.
Member for Townsville Mandy Johnstone said this innovative project was a major boost to the health workforce and research capacity in North Queensland.
“This project is a great example of hospitals, GPs and the tertiary sector working together to help find fresh new approaches to delivering quality health care.”
Member for Mt Isa Betty Kiernan welcomed Community Rehab NQ’s program of specialised rehabilitation outreach service to Mt Isa and North West Queensland to deliver services closer to home for locals.
“This investment means Mt Isa locals living with disability can be treated in their homes and in their local community,” she said.
“This will make a big difference for the quality of life for patients and their families."
This investment builds on prior Gillard Government investments in Townsville, including:
- Expansion of Townsville Hospital through the Health and Hospitals Fund ($250 million)
- 15 additional sub-acute beds at Townsville Hospital ($20 million)
- Funding for three radiotherapy bunkers, two new linear accelerators, one PET/CT scanner and 26 additional chemotherapy treatment chairs/beds at the Townsville Hospital Integrated Cancer Centre ($67.5 million)
- Construction of a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation clinic at James Cook University ($5 million)
For more information, contact Minister Roxon's Office on (02) 6277 7220
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