Improving Health Care for our kids in Mt Isa

Gidgee Healing has partnered with Spinifex State School in Mt Isa to offer a fit-for-purpose school-based GP clinic at both the school’s campuses. 

The clinic forms part of the Queensland government’s GPs in Schools Pilot program which is currently trialing GPs in local public schools.

In a city with limited access to bulk-bill medical check-ups and waiting times of up to two to three weeks for the local GP clinics, Gidgee Healing is delighted help grant over 1,000 Mt Isa students much needed access to free and immediate healthcare.

Chief Medical Officer at Gidgee Healing, Dr Chris Clohesy operates at the school one day per week with the help of a nurse.

“Setting up a clinic at the school has allowed us to check up on students who may not have previously had access to an appointment with their local GP,” said Dr Chris.

“By teaching our kids to look after themselves and provide high quality healthcare, for a range of both mental and physical issues, we are setting up our society for a better future," he said.

“It’s also a great learning experience for the students. If they’re confident in their health system as a child, they’re going to keep coming back as an adult.”

Accessibility is a major issue in rural towns and cities such as Mt Isa.

For Gidgee Healing CEO, Cherrie Glasson, the partnership paves the path towards achieving equity in health outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of these regions.

“Our school-based GP clinic provides much needed accessibility for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” she said.

“It makes sense to have access to holistic services based on campus, particularly in rural communities with a significant number of low-socio economic families.”

Appointments can be made via school administration officers. If there are spare appointments on the day, ‘walk-in’ appointments can be utilized by children whose parents or guardian have provided the appropriate consent.

Children aged 15 years and below are required to have a parent or approved caregiver attend their appointment/s with them. If parents/caregivers are unable to attend they can nominate a school representative to attend/support the child with the appointment.

To find out more about Gidgee Healing’s services or the GP in Schools program, get in touch here.