{"id":221275,"date":"2018-10-30T17:39:33","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T07:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=221275"},"modified":"2020-07-27T11:10:42","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T01:10:42","slug":"kilkivan-welcomes-its-health-nurse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/10\/30\/kilkivan-welcomes-its-health-nurse\/","title":{"rendered":"Kilkivan Welcomes Its Health Nurse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A strong turnout at the Health Forum held in Kilkivan in June added to the push for a community health nurse for the town (Photo: Nanango Electorate Office)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 30, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

Opposition Leader and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington says the appointment of a community health nurse to Kilkivan twice per week is confirmation of the high level of need for better access to\u00a0health care in the region.<\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said this was a huge boost for the Kilkivan community, but it was only through the tenacity and determination of the community that the service had finally been provided.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community first came to me in February this year to highlight the need for a community health nurse, but when we asked the Minister for Health for support, he showed no interest and rejected\u00a0our request,\u201d Mrs Frecklington said.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, this Labor Government has been more focussed on renaming hospitals in Brisbane than realising the health needs of people in regional areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis didn\u2019t stop the people of Kilkivan, though, and with the support of the community, we tabled a petition in State Parliament with 354 signatures, which was a significant achievement for the small township of Kilkivan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn June, following the tabling of the petition, we saw a Health Forum held in Kilkivan and finally the evidence became too strong and a three-month trial of a Nurse Navigator was announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will always push for better services our regional areas and I will always support better access to health services for people in the country.<\/p>\n

“The need for a Community Health Nurse in Kilkivan has now been validated and I\u2019m very pleased the township will benefit from the services of the visiting nurse practitioner, Jenny Doherty.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I welcome her to her new role and I know the community will greatly appreciate her experience and support.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce again, I applaud the Kilkivan community for their determination and assistance in pushing for better community health services in their township.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations must go to Mavis O\u2019Neill, Jan Kirby and Joyce Koy who first raised this issue with me and then worked very hard to co-ordinate the petition in Kilkivan and Goomeri.<\/p>\n

“It goes to show\u00a0that if you believe in something strongly enough, you can create change.\u201d<\/p>\n

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