cohealth urges Tas candidates to commit to improving rural health

As Tasmanians prepare to head to the polls this month for the fourth time in seven years, leading values-based, not-for-profit community health organisation cohealth is urging candidates in the electorate of Lyons to commit to strengthening primary and community care on the state’s East Coast. 

Since 2023, cohealth has been working with the Glamorgan Spring Bay Council to make it easier for the region’s residents to access health services.   

Working with the local community and other stakeholders, cohealth has developed a community-health model designed to improve local access to GPs, nursing, allied health, and medical specialists, as well as to provide greater support for people in the region who have complex health needs — but the model needs government funding to bring it to life. 

“We remain committed to improving primary and community care on Tasmania’s East Coast,” says cohealth’s Chief Executive, Nicole Bartholomeusz. 

“This is a region where GPs continue to face huge demands for health care from an ageing population with chronic health issues,” Nicole says. “Yet, like so many people living in rural and remote communities, their relative geographic isolation risks them missing out on vital support and treatment.”  

For Tasmania’s East Coast, cohealth is repeating its calls for:  

• State funding for the Glamorgan Spring Bay Community Health Model 

Improved resourcing to increase and support locally based primary healthcare services is essential to addressing the healthcare access barriers that people in rural and remote communities face. These barriers can contribute to poorer health outcomes and higher hospitalisation rates than those experienced in major cities. 

• Funding for Urgent Care Service provision
  With no hospital or urgent care facilities in the growing and tourist-popular towns of Bicheno and Triabunna, local clinics are under-resourced to provide lifesaving urgent care when it is required. 

“We’re experiencing an increasing need to provide lifesaving care to walk-in clients, says cohealth’s Tasmanian Operations Lead, Katie Pennington. “The full cost of providing this can be more than $1000, but it isn’t fair for us to pass that on to a patient awaiting ambulance transfer. Medicare doesn’t cover this cost, so we end up wearing it.” 

“For a relatively small investment in primary care services,” Katie says, “we can do so much more to keep people out of hospital, — and keep them in the communities they love.” 

Nicole Bartholomeusz adds, “Patients living in Bicheno and Triabunna are two-to-three hours away from the nearest hospitals in Hobart and Launceston.”   

“With the Glamorgan Spring Bay Community Health Model,” Nicole says, “we have a solution that meets those patients’ needs. We just need the funding commitment to help us implement it.” 

— ends — 

more information: Adam Bennett adam.bennett@cohealth.org.au or 0424 147 230 

About cohealth: cohealth is a not-for-profit community health organisation that provides low-cost and free local health and support services including medical, dental, allied health, mental health, aged care and counselling, and many specialist health services in Melbourne’s CBD, inner-north and inner-west, and the east coast of Tasmania (Bicheno and Triabunna).