• A $1.4 million donation from the Newcrest Mining Sustainability Fund will support the creation of a unique rural health education simulation centre in the Central West
• The centre will be developed in Orange at Charles Sturt University’s Bloomfield site at the Bloomfield Health Campus  
• The funding will allow students of the Doctor of Medicine, medical professionals, and the community access to the latest simulation technology, currently only accessible in metropolitan areas

The Newcrest Mining Sustainability Fund has donated more than $1.4 million to Charles Sturt University to establish a unique rural health education simulation centre in Orange - The Newcrest Rural Health Simulation Centre.

The funding will enable rural medical students to access world-class education, equipment and facilities in their own backyard, removing the tyranny of distance of having to travel hundreds of kilometres to the closest metropolitan area to complete this training.

The Centre will be developed in Orange, at Charles Sturt University’s Bloomfield site within the Bloomfield Health Campus.   

Dean of Rural Medicine at the Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine Professor Lesley Forster said it was a tremendous development that would benefit rural communities across the region.

“The Newcrest Rural Health Simulation Centre is a ground-breaking milestone for the medical community and rural Australia,” Professor Forster said.

“It will provide students from the Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine with vital training equipment, such as the latest simulation technology which is currently only accessible in metropolitan locations.”  

Professor Forster said the funding would be put towards the creation and fit-out of the Centre.

“This donation will support the creation of spaces where rural medical students can immerse themselves in situations that simulate real-life emergency scenarios, along with the provision of state-of-the-art medical equipment, simulated mannequins, and an immersive interaction room.”

The funding will cover the establishment of the following:

• Creation of a simulation ward and resuscitation room
• A fully equipped control centre
• Break out rooms, conference, and communal spaces
• Quiet learning spaces
• Kitchen facilities
• Simulation mannequins including a SimMan, SimMum and SimJunior Bundles
• A fully equipped training ambulance
• An immersive interaction room, which recreates experiences of working in medical emergency scenarios

Newcrest's Chief Sustainability Officer Ms Beth White said Newcrest was proud to support the growth of rural doctors through this donation. 

“Initiatives like this can play a profound role in attracting more nurses, medical and health professionals to the region and we at Newcrest are thrilled to support it,” said Ms White.

"It shouldn’t matter where someone lives when it comes to being able to access first-rate health services and projects like this are a great way for us, as a major business and employer around Orange, to play our part in supporting the health of the local community.

“We are excited to see this project get off the ground and look forward to partnering with Charles Sturt University to see them train and support many great health professionals for years to come.”

CEO of the Charles Sturt University Foundation Trust Ms Sarah Ansell welcomed the additional support from Newcrest on this project.

“We are delighted to be able to work with Newcrest on this exciting initiative and thank them for their vision and community-focused generosity,” Ms Ansell said.

“Support such as this reaches beyond our students into our communities providing essential resources and opportunities to create new knowledge.

“The Centre will also become a vital resource for practicing medical professionals to sharpen their skills, along with providing general training and business facilities to the wider community.”

The recent funding follows previous support from Newcrest of more than $100,000, which went towards the provision of vital simulation equipment.

Students from the Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine have had access to the state-of-the-art medical equipment donated in Phase One of the project since July 2022. It is anticipated that construction of Phase Two will commence in late January 2023 with project completion expected by

mid-2023.

To support Charles Sturt University or learn more about the Charles Sturt Foundation, visit the website.

ENDS