Vital health care in the outback

Connellan Airways Trust Diabetes Management and Education Scholarship

With a mission to support people in the outback, Connellan Airways Trust is giving remote primary health care workers the support they need to upskill in diabetes care management.

Providing an air service to Alice Springs between 1939 and 1980, Connellan Airways has played a vital role in breaking down the isolation of people in the central corridor of Australia.

Today, Connellan Airways Trust continues this mission of supporting people in the outback by providing education, health, employment and social opportunities, and has created the Connellan Airways Trust Diabetes Management and Education Scholarship at Flinders University.

With diabetes a considerable health issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, more support is needed to provide appropriate care. However, there is a major shortage of primary health care workers in central Australia who have advanced skills and knowledge in diabetes care.

‘Having appropriately educated and qualified clinicians is significant to improving health outcomes for the rural and remote Australian population,’ says Jessica Hacket, Executive Officer of Connellan Airways Trust.

This year the Connellan Airways Trust Diabetes Management and Education Scholarship will support two primary health care workers in the Northern Territory to undertake the Graduate Certificate in Diabetes Management at Flinders University. Applications are now open.

‘The postgraduate diabetes management and education program provides students with the contemporary knowledge and skills required to care for clients with diabetes effectively,’ says Professor James Smith, Deputy Dean of Rural and Remote Health – NT at Flinders University.

‘In addition, it equips primary health care professionals with the skills to contribute to research in this area.’

‘We look forward to working with Flinders University to provide vital health care to the Northern Territory communities,’ says Jessica Hacket.

Through the support of Connellan Airways Trust, the scholarship will enable members of the remote primary health care sector to upskill, while retaining current staff and students within outback Australia.

‘By increasing the expertise in diabetes care and management in regional Australia, this funding will have long-term benefits of improving patient care and ultimately saving lives in the community,’ says Jessica Hacket.

If you would like to help develop the health workforce in rural and regional Australia, please contact Bonnie Allmond on +61 8 7421 9995 or via email bonnie.allmond@flinders.edu.au