New Noosa Midwifery program a boost for regional health
Published on 22 August, 2012
CQUniversity's Noosa Campus has targeted the gap in healthcare between Queensland's regional communities and metropolitan cities with the introduction of a distance education Midwifery program...
CQUniversity Interim Midwifery Head Jenny Davis said the new program would educate much-needed midwives for regional communities across the state.
At the presentation of breast-feeding equipment are L-R Professor Ysanne Chapman (Dean of School of Nursing and Midwifery); Jenny Davis (Interim Midwifery Head of Program); Anita Bailey (Medela Australia, QLD Representative - Hospital); Marc Reuser (Managing Director of Medela Australia); Professor Donna Brien (Acting Noosa Campus Manager)
"Non-metropolitan areas should not be missing out on quality midwifery services because of a lack of flexible healthcare education and training," Ms Davis said.
"More students will now have access to CQUniversity's midwifery education program, resources and state-of-the-art equipment, including the new nursing and midwifery labs built during the Noosa Campus' recent $2.5 million expansion.
"This will ultimately result in more midwives in regional communities throughout Queensland, meeting midwifery workforce needs and promoting and delivering positive health outcomes for women and their babies."
Having spent 20 years as a nurse and midwife in rural Victoria, Ms Davis says she has seen first-hand the difference skilled and well-educated midwives can make to healthcare in regional communities.
"We need better long-term health outcomes and a midwife is ideally placed to achieve that in any community," Ms Davis said.
"For instance, midwives have a vital role to play in efforts to increase the number of mothers who breast-feed their babies for at least six months; a key outcome outlined in the Federal Government's Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy."
The new program received an early boost recently when leading healthcare equipment producer Medela Australia donated training equipment used to support breast-feeding in certain situations to the Noosa and Mackay campuses.
"Medela Australia's donation will enable students to use authentic research-based equipment that supports breast-feeding and provides invaluable practical experience to take into their professional practice," Ms Davis said.