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Historic occasion for communities of Toomelah and Boggabilla
18 February 2008
Monday 18 February marks an historic occasion for the people of Toomelah and Boggabilla when a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to bring about improved local health services in the two communities is signed.
Hunter New England Health Chief Executive Dr Nigel Lyons will join with Pius X Aboriginal Corporation Chairperson Liz Taylor and representatives of the two communities to sign the landmark document on Monday at midday at Toomelah Public School.
The tripartite agreement has come about after discussions between Pius X Aboriginal Corporation, Hunter New England Aboriginal Health and representatives of the local communities.
Last year Pius X Aboriginal Corporation received Commonwealth funding to enhance and increase access to primary health care services with the employment of two additional Aboriginal Health Workers in the Toomelah/Boggabilla region.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the workers will be based at Hunter New England Health’s community health centres in Toomelah and also work in Boggabilla.
“The agreement between the health service, Pius X and the communities of Toomelah and Boggabilla outlines how we will work together to provide health services in these communities into the future,” Chief Executive of Hunter New England Health Dr Nigel Lyons said.
“It’s important that we work in partnership to provide health care and we’re confident this shared understanding and integration of services will bring many benefits for the people of Toomelah and Boggabilla,” Dr Lyons said.
“It also gives these health workers a team environment to share knowledge and information among fellow health professionals.
Pius X Aboriginal Corporation Chairperson Liz Taylor said: “The health status of Indigenous people has not improved, especially for outlying towns like Boggabilla and Toomelah. There is a whole range of health issues impacting on our communities and through this MOU we can offer a more coordinated and quality service delivery to the Boggabilla and Toomelah communities, meaning services can only improve.”
The MOU represents Hunter New England Health’s ongoing commitment to meeting the health needs of these remote communities and providing people with access to appropriate and timely health care, Dr Lyons said.
“I would like to publicly recognise the team at Pius X Aboriginal Corporation for their ongoing collaboration with Hunter New England Health as we continue our work to reduce the gap that exists for Aboriginal people in terms of their health disadvantage,” he said.
MEDIA NOTE: Please contact Shannon Ramadge on the number below to arrange photographs of the event to be sent to you if required.
Contact: Shannon Ramadge
Phone: 4939 2216
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