108 Bargara Rd
Bundaberg East, Qld, 4670
If you’re from the Discovery Coast, you’ll know the region is in dire need of additional healthcare. Here at IMPACT Community Services, we’re currently working on a detailed research project to establish what model of health care would best accommodate the needs of the region both now and into the future and we’d love your help.
If you’re a Discovery Coast local, we want to hear from you.
Tell us what local health services you think are lacking, how the community could better attract health professionals and what type of services you want to see available locally.
We want to work together as a community to discover the best possible solution.
Please take a few minutes to complete our community survey.
Historically, the region has been overlooked when it comes to health care investment.
Even before the pandemic and the mammoth local population increase that came with it, local businesses and services were finding it difficult to keep up with demand. Now, local healthcare services in particular are nearing capacity, with the closest hospitals a 1.5-hour drive away and the two local ambulance staff run off their feet.
IMPACT Community Health Services (ICHS) is at the heart of healthcare in Agnes Water. Just recently our ICHS Child Health Nurse was called to assist with a home-birth when a local resident went into labour and couldn’t make it to a hospital, due to flooding and weather conditions. Thankfully, together with the paramedics they were able to communicate with the hospital midwife via telehealth and the delivery went smoothly, with both mum and bub doing well.
As well as nursing services, ICHS also offers a range of allied health programs at our health precinct located at 2 Rafting Ground Road, Agnes Water. In addition, we offer our facility for use by other health providers to deliver their services locally. At present, the precinct is home to a GP and a visiting women’s health clinician, skin specialist, Audiologist and Wide Bay Hospital and Health Services which provide community mental health, physiotherapy and breast screening programs.
IMPACT has first-hand insights into how the growth in population has affected the local healthcare sector. We know that health related appointments are increasingly hard to come by, particularly for people who have relocated to the region and are required to register as new patients – with the majority of services offered via our facility unable to take on any more clients as accommodating current ones within a timely manner is already proving difficult.
These significant challenges are what led IMPACT to undertake this comprehensive research project that ultimately seeks to discover what model of healthcare will best accommodate the fast-growing region.
The project is currently in the information gathering phase, where we are talking with community, stakeholders and government to inform a future model of care to service our region.
Here at IMPACT Community Services (IMPACT) we are focused on three things: improving lives, creating diverse opportunities and working together. We believe this project is relevant to all three.
We are excited for the future and potential of the Discovery Coast region and are grateful for the community input and support.
Significant project updates will be provided on this webpage, as well as via our IMPACT Community Health Service Facebook page.
In addition to completing the community survey, please feel free to share any insights into how the significant growth in the population has impacted you and/or your organisation via email to ichs@impact.org.au or fill in the form below - all contributions will be de-identified and grouped into relevant categories.
Let’s work together to discover what healthcare services our Discovery Coast needs so residents have access to what they need, when they need it.
Please note: This website may contain references to, or feature images, videos, and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have passed away.