Congratulations to the finalists for the 2022 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards - Clinical Leadership category
Congratulations to the finalists for the 2022 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards - Clinical Leadership category
Dr Catherine Engelke from WA Country Health Service, Kununurra
General practitioner and district medical officer, Dr Catherine Engelke is a proud Gidja woman living in Kununurra.
Through her initiative, education and collaboration, Catherine helped the Warmun community in the Kimberley achieve a 76 per cent COVID-19 vaccination rates through a two-day vaccination blitz.
In preparation for the blitz, Catherine provided education sessions to the health workers highlighting the community’s concerns and the culturally appropriate explanation she had developed to address this misinformation.
She also had countless conversations with her patients, their families and the community about the vaccine, how it works and its safety with the aim to reduce misinformation prior to the blitz. This ensured the community welcomed the vaccination team.
During the blitz Catherine actively encouraged everyone she vaccinated to find a friend or family member to return to the clinic and have them vaccinated also.
Catherine also works as a medical educator with The Rural Clinical School of WA and has delivered excellent cultural awareness training to her colleagues, explaining how Indigenous communities access care, and how clinician awareness of local traditions and lores can improve the patient’s journey and health outcomes.
She carries the trust of her patients with dignity and grace, and generously shares her experience and wisdom with her colleagues in the educational setting.
In addition to her clinical leadership, Catherine is considered an inspiration for her communities in the Kimberley.
Dr Cherelle Fitzclarence from WA Country Health Service, Karratha
Working across rural Australia for more than 25 years, Dr Cherelle Fitzclarence has developed a track-record for increasing access to services and improving patient care.
Pictured with fellow medical practitioner, husband Dr Graeme Fitzclarence
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While based in Broome, Cherelle worked with the local renal team and visiting Nephrologist to establish local dialysis and renal support services to provide local care and decrease the need to travel to Perth.
While in Karratha, Cherelle has been involved with the roll-out of the TeleChemotherapy Service, which has enabled local patients to access chemotherapy and aftercare services much closer to home.
Most recently she has provided leadership for the Pilbara’s COVID-19 vaccination program, helping to counter misinformation, and overcome other obstacles to secure the safety of patients in the region along with chairing a daily multiagency, multidisciplinary clinical covid meeting.
In addition to her clinical duties as Senior Medical Officer for the West Pilbara branch of WA Country Health Service, Cherelle works as a Medical Coordinator for The Rural Clinical School of WA and is the Chair of the Pilbara Health Professionals Network – both roles aimed at encouraging health professionals to embark on rural careers.
As a rural generalist, she understands the importance of teamwork, interprofessional communications between health professionals across all sectors of the health system and the clients of the community that she services.
Kate Jones formerly from Royal Flying Doctor Service, Broome
Registered nurse Kate Jones has established her career in remote WA, working across primary healthcare, population health and sexual health domains.
Since taking on the role of Primary Health Care Nurse with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in Broome in 2018, Kate has worked to establish trust and relationships with elders and residents in Yakanarra, Koorabye and other Aboriginal communities in the region.
After COVID-19 struck, Kate’s role was transformed to focus on the vaccination program.
She developed clinical guidelines for vaccination programs, then formed and trained a team of 18 vaccinators and other RFDS clinicians on the unique processes of handling, drawing up and administering Pfizer vaccinations.
She also established best-practice principles and protocols for the ultra-cold storage and cold chain management of Pfizer vaccines in very harsh environments.
Kate worked in partnership with WA Country Health Service and Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service, collaborating to run vax-a-thon events in Broome, Kununurra and Derby.
Kate was able to use her established relationships with elders in outlying towns to maximise vaccine uptake at these events.
NB: Kate is currently working with WA Country Health Service