Country Outreach
In recognition of the isolation of people living in country areas and the distance from CF Clinics, the organisation endeavours to provide extra services. These include:
- Visits to country areas by a social worker
- A freecall telephone service
- Educational seminars in country towns to provide up-to-date information on CF to doctors, allied health professionals, and the CF community.
In the Newcastle area, counselling services are provided by our Social Worker who liaises closely with the Paediatric and Adult CF Clinics at the John Hunter Hospital. Practical home support is provided by our part-time Family Support Worker.
Help for country children who have Cystic Fibrosis
Thanks to a donation from Hollywood star Paul Newman, children who have CF and live in some country areas will no longer have to travel to visit a CF clinic. Newman’s Own Foundation has given $US13,000 to CF NSW to provide two rural clinic outreach services.
Newman’s Own Foundation makes donations to small but effective organisations that are often overlooked in the fundraising market place. Research shows children have a better survival rate if they are treated at specialist CF clinics and CF NSW will continue to seek funding for programs which have such obvious benefits.
For people who have CF and live in country areas visiting a clinic can take one or two days of travelling. Young children need to be accompanied by an adult leading to a further disruption of family life.
The donation from Newman’s Own Foundation allows CFNSW to send a team to a country town to conduct a clinic and provide an educational seminar. The team includes a paediatric respiratory specialist, adult respiratory specialist, two clinical nurse consultants, a physiotherapist, a dietitian and a social worker.
A very successful clinic has already been held in Armidale and we plan to implement the program in another country area in the coming year. The Armidale Country Outreach Clinic was held in conjunction with John Hunter Children’s Hospital on September 13. The paediatric CF clinic team from the hospital travelled to Armidale and held an update for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. The team discussed new trends in medical management, nursing management, physiotherapy, dietetics and social work. The following day a CF clinic was held at Armidale Hospital. The clinic was attended by eight young people who have CF and their parents from Armidale and the surrounding area.
