After breaking the 200,000 steps and 1,000 (virtual) km marks I’ve made it to Charleville and stopped in at Charleville and Western Areas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health (CWAATSICH).
CWAATSICH services a huge area, servicing Balonne Shire Council, Murweh Shire Council, Quilpie Shire Council, Windorah Shire Council and Maranoa Regional Council boundaries and communities in the Near South West and Far South West Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Partnership Community of Interest Profile Areas. Between their clinics and their outreach programs their services extend over the traditional lands of more than nine language groups.
CWAATSICH delivers holistic, culturally appropriate health services that improve health and well-being outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in the communities they service. This includes general medical consultations both on site and outreach/visiting, as well as a range of visiting specialist services such as allied health, psychology, endocrinology and diabetes educators, respiratory physicians, opthamology and audiology. They have a range of programs for chronic disease management and keeping children and adults healthy, such as the Breakfast Club program in schools, the Healthy Outback Kids program, and programs designed specifically for women, men, Elders and children.
The DREAMT (Dementia, Regional & remote, Empowering, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Medicine and Telemedicine and telehealth) was one that particularly caught my eye. DREAMT is an innovative way of using telehealth to provide treatment and support services for people living with dementia in rural and remote communities. There’s a great video about it you can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrGaBhoLWEY&feature=youtu.be
If you’re an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person living within CWAATSICH’s range of service, look them up and find out all the great things they have to offer you. You can find out more on their website: https://cwaatsich.org.au/
Another long walk ahead of me as I head back towards Dalby!
