Weekly Update

Dear Members,

Planning of the CRANAplus 28th Annual Conference is well underway and we encourage you to block out the dates in your diary.

The conference venue is the Hotel Grand Chancellor, located in the Adelaide CBD. The Welcome Ceremony will be at dusk in the grounds of the Adelaide Zoological Gardens with a pre-function tour of the Panda enclosure (Adelaide hosts the only Pandas in the southern hemisphere).

Transport to the zoo has been arranged on the iconic River Torrens ferry, the ‘Popeye’. We await confirmation from the office of the Governor General, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce to open the conference.

With 2010 being the International Year of the Nurse, we are delighted to announce that Rosemary Bryant, Australia’s Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer and President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has agreed to speak at this year's conference. We have also confirmed that the NT Coroner Greg Cavanagh for the agenda. Mr Cavanagh's office is an advocate for our Remote Emergency Care training course and served as a the catalyst for the CRANAplus REC course being made mandatory for all remote health workers in the Northern Territory.

The new online abstract registration system is up and running and the first abstract has been received. The deadline is much earlier than past years, so don't wait too long. The closing date is May 15th.

Don't forget to be thinking about colleagues that you want to nominate for the CRANAplus and Aurora Awards. It's an opportunity to acknowledge someone for their hard work and contributions to remote health. Submissions can soon be made online or by completing the form and faxing to the Alice Springs office.

The conference will conclude Saturday Oct 16th with a dinner showcasing South Australian food and wine. On Sunday the 17th, we are offering a full-day coach tour of the Barossa Valley incorporating wine tasting and lunch. Then traveling through the magnificent valleys to the Adelaide Hills and the historic German settlement Hahndorf for afternoon tea and shopping. More conference details are being added to the website daily. Check back often for the latest news.

Online registration will open in the coming days with details of early bird discounts.

Have a great weekend!

Anne-Marie Borchers
CRANAplus Business Manager

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FLEC Update

We welcome Libby Bowell, First Line Emergency Care Manager, back to the team, following her latest Red Cross mission to Haiti. Steve Batten is on leave, busy roaming Tasmania this week, enjoying perfect scenery and weather.

The week has been busy with a Maternity Emergency Care course held last weekend and a Remote Emergency Care for Aboriginal Health Workers was held in Alice Springs, on March 23 - 25.
This weekend,  our skilled co-ordinators and facilitators running a Remote Emergency Care course in Alice Springs and the second pilot of the Midwifery Up Skilling course will be held in Darwin next week.

The Midwifery Up Skilling course in Broome has unfortunately been cancelled due to lack of participant numbers. However, an additional course for this program has now been scheduled for Toowoomba, Qld on June 4-6.

Our courses continue to fill quickly, so please continue to access our website or ring the Adelaide office on 08 8408 8200 if you have any enquiries.

Signing off,
Karen Clarke
FLEC Administration Manager

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BSS Update

In recent weeks Australia has experienced natural disasters of storms, floods and cyclones in almost every state. Thousands of homes have been without power and many people have been forced to evacuate to temporary shelters. Some have lost their homes forever. Schools, offices and even sections of hospitals have been closed due to storm damage. Emergency crews have worked around the clock to help get things up and running.

Over and above our own natural disasters, Australians, ever generous in spirit, have quickly responded to help other countries experiencing natural disasters by sending volunteer medical professionals, equipment and supplies to Haiti and Fiji.

As generous as we are in wanting to help our own mates and those in other countries, such honourable deeds often come at a price to our own health in the form of stress. Most people have a finite store of energy; when it is used up, we need to stop and take care of ourselves.

A little pampering and being kind to one’s self is a good example. Talking to a professional psychologist on the toll free 1800 805 391 Bush Support Line is another. By following these simple steps and accepting support, we can find ourselves being able to move on with the next challenge life throws our way.

EASTER CYCLONE POSSIBLE
QUEENSLANDERS FEAR DEADLY BACTERIA IN CYCLONE CLEAN UP
NOT ENOUGH TRADIES TO FIX QUEENSLAND FLOOD DAMAGE
PERTH STORMS AND FLOODS

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Magazine Deadline

The deadline for the next issue of the CRANAplus Magazine has been changed. It is now May 1. Submissions should be directed to publications@crana.org.au.

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Meetings & Conferences

The 28th CRANAplus Conference
13-16 October 2010
Adelaide, SA

The Australian Practice Nurses Association 2nd Annual Conference 'Golden Opportunities'
6-8 May 2010
Gold Coast, QLD

2010 Primary Health Care Research Conference
Primary health care research and health reform: Improving care
30 June - 2 July 2010
Darwin, NT

The 4th Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Suicide Prevention
‘Suicide Prevention: A Dialogue Across Disciplines and Cultures’
17- 20 November 2010
Brisbane, QLD

2nd Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium "Winds of Change: New Perspectives on Rural and Remote Mental Health"
29-30 September 2010
Canberra, ACT

Australia's health 2010 Conference- The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
23 June 2010
Canberra, ACT

Aboriginal Health Conference 2010
26 - 27 June, 2010
Perth, WA

Inaugural National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Conference "listening, learning and leading"
16 May 2010
Adelaide, SA

Seminar to Address ’Time Bomb’ in Rural Health
Rural Health Leadership Seminar
8 - 10 April 2010
Wollongong, NSW

SUPPORTING SISTERS AND AUNTIES TO SURVIVE!
Spread the word about the Supporting Sisters and Aunties to Survive! A Breast Cancer Summit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women.
26 May 2010
Darwin, NT

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Scholarships & Educational Opportunities

CRANAplus/YNA Undergraduate Scholarships
Each year CRANAplus in partnership with Your Nursing Agency (YNA) offer a total of six $1000 scholarships. These scholarships are available to students who as part of their undergraduate course of study in a health discipline at any Australian university, undertakes a remote location placement.

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Articles of Interest

LEADERS ACCUSED OF OVERLOOKING RURAL DOCTOR SHORTAGE
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia says yesterday's federal leaders' debate offers little new information about how either party's health plan will affect country areas.

INDIGENOUS ALP CANDIDATE STUNS WITH SOUTH AUSTRALIA RESULT
In a surprising South Australian election outcome in the traditionally conservative seat of Flinders on Eyre Peninsula, it appears Labor will finish second in the vote.

INDIGENOUS ANIMOSITY HAS A LONG HISTORY
Violence against health workers in remote Queensland communities is in some ways an echo of the mission system.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS REGIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR WOES
A report has revealed people living in regional areas access cardiovascular disease medicines at a higher rate than those living in the city or in remote areas.

HOMELANDS BULIDING PROGRAM
The Jack Thompson Foundation work in collaboration with Indigenous communities by their request and instigation. The Homelands Building Program incorporates community collaborative design and requirements and all structures are built according to location specific and residents requirements.

MARCH 24 IS WORLD TUBERCULOSIS DAY
Many people think that tuberculosis is a disease of antiquity, eliminated decades ago by improvements in living conditions and the discovery of effective antibiotic treatment.

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