Sunraysia Collaboration

The Sunraysia Collaboration is a partnership between Monash Rural Health Mildura and the Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health (part of the University of Sydney). Our goal is to work together to support Sunraysia communities and address healthcare needs across north west Victoria and far west New South Wales. Working in partnership with our communities, we co-develop innovative workforce solutions, such as service-learning placements, that meet both the needs of the community and the learning needs of students.

We support students from a range of health disciplines and universities to undertake their clinical or fieldwork placements within communities across the Sunraysia region, including Dareton, Mildura, Robinvale and Wentworth.

Monash Rural Health and the Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health are both supported by the Australian Government’s Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program.

Partners

Monash University and Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health logos

Current projects

Interprofessional learning

Educators from Monash Rural Health Mildura and Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health collaborate to plan and deliver educational sessions for multidisciplinary groups. These sessions include collaborative care awareness to enhance patient care, Empathy Suit experiences to build awareness of patient illness experiences, and Holyoake DRUMBEAT sessions as a strategy to improve well-being, develop relationships, and enhancing motor control.

Speech pathology in primary schools

The Sunraysia Collaboration has worked with regional New South Wales primary schools to develop a service-led speech pathology student program for the speech, language and communication needs of children. While on placement, speech pathology students work as a peer pair within selected schools in Buronga, Dareton and Wentworth to provide individual and group therapy sessions. School staff professional development is also provided.

Our success stories

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First speech pathology students placed at Dareton Public School

In April 2022, the first two speech pathology students completed their placements at Dareton Public School as part of the Sunraysia Collaboration.

Publications

White, D., Jones, D., Harvey, P., Wright, F., Tarrant, L., Hodgetts, L., Allen, K., Oxford, S., Mitcham, A & Livingstone, K (2022). Competition or Collaboration in Regional Australia? A Cross-Border and Multi-University Approach to Maximising Rural Health Investments, Community Health and Health Workforce Outcomes. Australian Journal of Rural Health.

Contact

If your organisation within the Sunraysia region could benefit from hosting nursing and allied health students on placement, we would love to hear from you. For further information or to get involved, please contact:

Danielle White
Director, Sunraysia Collaboration
Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health
E: Danielle.White@health.nsw.gov.au

Associate Professor Fiona Wright
Director, Monash Rural Health Mildura
E: fiona.wright@monash.edu