Funding rural health and medical research a focus for State Government as $10.5m awarded to projects in WA

The State Government has devoted $10.5 million towards supporting medical research across WA, including in Geraldton. Minister for Medical Research Stephen Dawson announced the new funding, through the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund (FHRI), at Geraldton Universities Centre during the FHRI open day, which was organised to educate people on the fund and hear from previous recipients on their experience with the program. Geraldton-based program Clinical Yarning will receive $600,000 across three years to bolster the program that acts as a framework for clinicians, providing skills and tools to enhance clinical communication with Aboriginal patients. Dr Ivan Lin helped develop Clinical Yarning, and said the funding would help the program support a team of researchers, a community advisory group and necessary travel to improve the provision of healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “There is interest in the model on a national scale. The funding allows us to see what the program will look like and what effect it has, and the opportunity to do a test case to see what would be needed if it were to be rolled out more widely,” Dr Lin said. Sandra Thompson, director of the Geraldton-based WA Centre for Rural Health (WARCH), said one of the biggest challenges was retaining staff doing medical research and innovation in the regions. Dr Thompson said the funding would help hold on to staff who were able to evaluate the healthcare services being provided, to ensure they were operating as best they could, helping make changes when necessary. Mr Dawson also announced Moira McKinnon as a newly appointed member of the FHRI advisory council, the body that determines where funding is received. “Dr McKinnon is a general practitioner in Port Denison, she has been appointed to ensure the Mid West voice is heard loudly and strongly,” the minister said. Regional doctors, clinicians, practitioners and researchers are encouraged to submit grant applications in order to help fund change-making research. The fund will see $220 million available over four years, and has so far supplied $82 million in grants to 429 recipients.