In mid-September three WHGNE staff members travelled to Perth to present at the 17th National Rural Health Conference, hosted by the National Rural Health Alliance at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. Over the three days, we presented on two of our collaborative keystone projects in the area of sexual and reproductive health and care through times of disaster.
The array of presentations spanned the spectrum of rural health topics – from exploring access to services, culturally safe practices, climate resilience, attracting a rural workforce and the importance of considering the various social determinants of health for people living away from major centres. We heard about innovative new research, health initiatives and what is working to address inequitable health outcomes for people living rurally.
In the morning session of the first day, WHGNE staff members Mary and Katherine presented on the Long Story Short: Reshaping the Narrative of Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) project findings, which recently concluded with the launch of the Long Story Short report at an online forum hosted by project partners WHGNE and Women’s Health Loddon Mallee, alongside the Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health (CERSH).
The presentation explored the aims and methodology before presenting the results of our extensive community consultation, where we asked women: “What does better sexual and reproductive healthcare look like?” The themes of access and availability, education and awareness, quality of care and social stigma were found to encapsulate the collective drive to improve SRH for women in rural and regional areas, with recommendations aimed at health promotion organisations, service providers, community and various levels of government within the report.
WHGNE were thrilled to present these findings and encourage colleagues within the healthcare, education and community sector to explore the Long Story Short report in detail and apply its recommendations to their own rural and regional context – we were grateful for the opportunity to bring attention to the issues facing women and gender diverse people across Australia in accessing equitable, appropriate sexual and reproductive healthcare and information and share what we learned through collecting lived and living experience perspectives.
On the third and final day of the conference, WHGNE’s CEO Amanda presented the Care through Disaster in Practice Toolkit, developed collaboratively with Australia reMADE through qualitative research first presented in the inaugural research report, Care through Disaster: A new lens on what’s needed to thrive and survive in tumultuous times.
Building on the initial work that found communities needed to be seen, safe and supported before, during and after disaster, Care through Disaster in Practice: A toolkit for leaders from the citizen to the state is an evidence-based resource that provides a suite of practical recommendations to prepare communities through a changing climate and prevent the harms that come with a lack of attention to those elements, like community connection and safe spaces, that provide that extra safety net when disasters occur.
WHGNE would like to thank the National Rural Health Alliance for the opportunity to share our work reciprocally at an amazing event which will be remembered by those who attended for a long time.