Healthy North Coast has announced the first successful recipients of its new Primary Care Impact Grants - innovative, locally designed projects that will support high-quality care for people with chronic diseases across the region.

Eighteen (18) grants with a total value of $897,420 have been awarded in this first round, with funding going directly to general practices, Aboriginal Medical Services, allied health businesses and other local providers across Northern NSW and the Mid North Coast, to test and scale creative solutions to current health care challenges. These include local recipients, such as the Dunoon General Practice and Prema House, Lismore.

Healthy North Coast CEO Monika Wheeler said the response to the initiative has shown the depth of commitment across general practice and allied health services to improving care for local communities.

“Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in Australia, but we know that nearly 40% of this burden could be prevented by early intervention and addressing risk factors.

“GPs, nurses and allied health practitioners delivering care every day across our region are well placed to see where change is needed. These grants are about equipping those frontline providers with funding to test new approaches that reduce the impact of chronic diseases in our community.”

The Primary Care Impact Grants are part of Healthy North Coast’s commitment to strengthening the region’s primary health care system through the Australian Government’s Primary Health Network program.

$3.4m in total funding has been made available for the coming year, with future rounds still to come. This includes $1.8m through the MyMedicare Multidisciplinary Teams initiative and $1.6m through the Primary Health Network program funding to support the management of complex and chronic disease in high-risk populations.

Haley Hodgson, Director at Maclean Medical, was thrilled to be amongst the successful recipients.

“We’re incredibly proud to receive this funding to support a coordinated, multidisciplinary model of care for chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, dementia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the Clarence Valley,” Ms Hodgson said.

“This grant allows us to expand access to timely care, especially for patients in rural and underserved areas, and to pilot new ways of working collaboratively across general practice, allied health and nursing teams.”

The Primary Care Impact Grants are designed to support continuous quality improvement in primary care. The grant applications were reviewed using an evaluation rubric that assessed community need, health equity, efficiency and feasibility of each proposal, by a panel of health experts.

Successful proposals had a data-informed and evidence-based approach to meeting the needs of their communities, with a focus on reporting outcomes to drive continuous quality improvement.

“These are grassroots innovations with the potential for big impact,” Ms Wheeler added.

Each grant recipient will provide valuable data back to Healthy North Coast to assist with the evaluation of this innovative new initiative.

More information on the Primary Care Impact Grants, including for local health professionals interested in applying for future rounds, is available on Healthy North Coast’s website.

List of Round One Primary Care Impact Grant recipients

Multidisciplinary Team Care Grants:

• Dunoon General Practice - Multidisciplinary frailty intervention program - $65,040

• Hastings Physio and Health + Werin Aboriginal Corporation + PCYC Port Macquarie -Group based chronic disease prevention program for Indigenous Australians - $75,000

• Maclean Medical Centre – Diabetes, heart disease, dementia, arthritis, COPD & anxiety program - $64,000

• Dr Tenell Holborow, Port Macquarie – MDT care for residents in aged care - $40,000

• The Health Lodge Integrated Medical Centre – Supporting families living in water-damaged homes following the 2022 Northern Rivers floods - $50,000

• Bulgarr Ngaru Medical Aboriginal Corporation – Expansion of Youth Program - $75,000

• Maria Clinic – Improving outcomes for patients with Type 2 diabetes in Casino - $74,880

Total Multidisciplinary Team Care Grants awarded: $443,920

Chronic Disease Prevention Grants:

• Prema House, Lismore - Nurse-led clinic to address chronic disease and cancer risk in Richmond Valley - $30,000

• Scotts Head Medical Practice - Iron infusion service for patients with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) - $15,000

• Kennedy Drive Medical Centre, Tweed Heads - Prevention-focused chronic disease program centring on mental health - $29,500

• Woopi Medical Centre - Practice-wide chronic disease prevention and management program - $50,000

• Rekindling the Spirit - 48-week Aboriginal Healthy Lifestyle Program - $50,000

• McKay Street Surgery, Macksville - Early detection, education, lifestyle change, and coordinated care - $30,000

• The Physio Movement, Woolgoogla - Pain management program to address chronic musculoskeletal pain - $50,000

• Rose Avenue Medical Practice, Coffs Harbour - Raise awareness of hypertension and promote early detection - $50,000

• OneBridge, Ballina - Nurse-led chronic disease prevention and management program targeting individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, and chronic illness - $50,000

• CHC Medical, Coffs Harbour - Chronic disease screening program to detect and manage diabetes and cardiovascular risk - $50,000

• One more grant TBC - $49,000

Total Chronic Disease Prevention Grants awarded: $453,500

More information about each of the round one grant recipients can be found on Healthy North Coast’s website.