CPC Broken Hill
Improving the health of rural and remote communities
Rural and remote Australian communities are affected by complex disadvantages which impact the health and well-being of residents. These challenges contribute to a higher incidence of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and related conditions.
Our mission
It is our mission to pioneer an integrated, whole-of-community approach to health, providing real-world solutions with benefits for communities across the nation.
Our program, Healthy Broken Hill (HBH), embodies this approach in addressing diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease and related conditions. The initiative has been under development since early 2015 and grew out of concern in Broken Hill that local programs to address these conditions have yet to create significant and sustainable change at the population level.
The capacity to effect change in Broken Hill is underpinned by extensive external networks that are committed to working collaboratively with community stakeholders. We work with a number of partners in the community to properly address the myriad issues effecting the health of residents.
Our vision
- Focusing on and developing partnerships with local primary health care providers, Local Health Districts, councils, and businesses to facilitate better integration of our program into the community.
- Bridging the communication gap between researchers and the community, providing education, and giving people a voice in the future of their own health.
- Embedding health advocacy in communities.
- Leading an integrated health program that will serve as a model for communities across Australia.
- Building a health network across rural communities.
What impact will this research have?
Improved health for the local Broken Hill community for years to come. Through our pioneering integrated health model, we are aiming to act as a model for other communities across the country.
Featured research projects
1. Tracking preventative services
Prevention programs should be recognised as just one part of a ‘system’ which combines to influence chronic disease prevention. This project analyses local prevention systems in Broken Hill, the role of policies and programs, as well as other system elements in influencing local prevention systems, aiming to identify what can be done to activate these local prevention systems to achieve maximum population health impact.
2. Barriers to service uptake
A project nearing completion that will present a comprehensive mapping of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease preventive programs and services in Broken Hill, understanding the barriers to the uptake of existing services. These findings help to show what is working and what needs rethinking.
3. Effective community consultation
A project that is consulting with community and seeking their advice on appropriate and effective community engagement strategies and shared decision-making, with the intention to extend the reach and relevance of HBH across the whole community.
Our partners
Our work would not be possible without the support and collaboration of our partners:
- BHP
- Far West Local Health District
- Broken Hill City Council
- Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation
- NSW Department of Education
- Western NSW Region
- Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health
- Charles Perkins Centre (CPC) network
- Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney
- Australian Prevention Partnership Centre (TAPPC).
Read more about partnerships at the Charles Perkins Centre.
Professor David Lyle
Head of Department
Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health
Read more on our featured academics
