Two new resources providing overviews of the state of rural health and workforce gaps have been launched by the National Rural Health Alliance.
The alliance says its Rural Health in Australia Snapshot 2021 will enable a variety of stakeholders – from journalists and researchers to politicians and policymakers – to access key evidence about rural health from one credible source.
The Rural Health Workforce Mapping Tool (RHWMT) is a geospatial tool that show disparities in the health workforce across rural, regional and remote areas of Australia.
“Heat maps” show where the health workforce is most in need, including the professions that may be in short supply.
Users can search for Commonwealth Electorate Divisions, Local Government Areas, or national-level Modified Monash Model remoteness regions.
The mapping tool was developed by NRHA policy officer Luke Sartor.
The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) met with Mr Sartor during the project to outline some of the rural healthcare issues facing local government.