Charles Sturt University (CSU) has announced the establishment of the Centre for Inland Health in response to the critical health issues confronting Australia’s rural communities and the lack of realistic solutions to address these concerns.

 

The Centre for Inland Health will bring together health educators, researchers, service providers and local communities to identify, examine and solve priority health concerns of inland communities.

 

With teams focussing on mental health; dental and oral health; heart and lung fitness; muscle, bone and joint health; the rural health workforce; cancer and vulnerable families along with ageing and indigenous and migrant populations, the Centre aims to address areas that have been previously overlooked.

 

CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter says, “Rather than establishing a new health education and research centre that duplicates the excellent work conducted across public and private health organisations throughout Australia, including CSU, we believe the most effective strategy is to garner the existing capacities of these organisations through effective coordination and leadership”.

 

Australia’s inland population suffers from higher rates of hospitalisation and earlier deaths than people in metropolitan cities because of disease and injuries that could be prevented or better managed but are not, for a range of reasons. These reasons include isolation, unique environmental and occupational hazards, and inadequate access to health services, water quality, good nutrition, recreational opportunities. [see background notes below]

 

“It is unacceptable that people in rural and remote Australia have significantly higher rates of death and disease than our metropolitan counterparts, and as Australia’s national inland university, we believe we can offer unique solutions to this critical issue,” Professor Goulter said.

 

“The Centre for Inland Health expands on the University’s reputation as the most comprehensive provider of health programs of any Australian university and its commitment to meeting the demand for trained health professionals in rural areas experiencing critical shortages.”

 

Director of the Centre for Inland Health, Dr Rodney Pope believes the Centre builds on a long history of CSU achievements for inland health and community well-being.

 

“Australia has some of the world’s leading researchers and educators, however, for historical reasons the bulk of their work is conducted in major cities. Through the Centre for Inland Health, CSU will be able to highlight the unique issues facing rural communities and work with these communities to develop real and achievable solutions,” he said. “The Centre for Inland Health is all about people from inland Australia working together for the health of inland Australia.”

 

Dr Pope is a highly regarded health professional and academic with a background in areas including military non-combat injury prevention, physiotherapy, population health, fitness and research.

 

To support the work of the Centre for Inland Health, CSU has also established an Inland Health Foundation, designed to raise funds to ensure the Centre is able to fund research and development activities to improve the health of inland Australians.