The Healthy Communities Foundation Australia (the Foundation) was named outstanding health organisation of 2024 in the National HESTA Nursing and Midwifery Awards in Melbourne tonight. The award recognises excellence and leadership in supporting nurses as clinical leaders in health care in Australia.
Foundation CEO, Mark Burdack, said: “This award is a credit to all the hard work and commitment shown by our nursing teams across rural and regional Australia”.
“Rural and remote communities have poorer health, higher rates of hospitalisation and die up to 16 years earlier than people who live in the cities.
“After more than 20 years of waiting for solutions to the rural health crisis, it is now increasingly clear that the only way to solve the health challenges in our communities is to empower and resource local communities to lead health reform.
“While the number of doctors, allied health and other professionals declines the further you move from the cities, the number of nurses does not. Nurses have always been the backbone of rural and remote health, and they have become the foundation for renewing and expanding health care access in rural and remote communities.
“Our nurse led teams are bringing health care back to rural and remote Australia including mental health services, women’s health, children’s health and chronic disease management.
“It is very rare for rural and remote nurses to get recognition for their work, and I would like to thank HESTA Super, Me Bank, Medibank and the other award sponsors, and the jury of academic and industry peers, for recognising the tireless work of rural and remote nurses and their role in returning health to local communities” said Mr Burdack.
For more information call Mark Burdack on 0418974988.