Governments must acknowledged the best health gains for communities will be achieved by involving the people who live in the community. The design and delivery of health education and screening projects in co-operative ventures with local communities, and the running of community health centres with strong community input and involvement will all strengthen community bonds and help integrate planning, people and infrastructure and provide the health outcomes intended. This is the Government's most recent rural health policy document. The policy acknowledges the social model of health is the right approach and an all of community, holistic model, which involves all the social, economic and cultural forces in communities, is the best way to change things. Government must now begin to develop models that will enable small communities to revitalise themselves, boosting community capacity and self confidence as well as the local economy.
Healthy towns make for healthy inhabitants.
This document regulates the purchase of health services by community health centres. Rural Ambulance Services Member concern about quick access to emergency ambulance services is currently very high. Recent cases of slow response times to some accidents have been reported. The inability of one-man ambulance services to simultaneously transport and monitor patients has been noted. The training provided and the level of medical techniques able to be administered by ambulance officers is also a cause for concern.