RWAV is the fundholder for the Eye and Ear Surgical Support Services (ESSS) program. EESSS has been established to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients to access eye and ear surgical services. In the past year, RWAV was able to assist over 160 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and adults to access this service.
On the 22nd of November, RWAV enabled a third group of children to attend ENT surgery at Kilmore Hospital led by Dr Zenia Chow. RWAV in collaboration with Kilmore Hospital staff, Njernda Aboriginal Cooperative, Echuca and Mallee District Aboriginal Service (MDAS) in Mildura supported ten children receive surgery. The funding enabled carers to accompany the children to Kilmore. Significant coordination of logistics and communication is involved in arranging 20 children and adults attend surgery especially when they are travelling long distances. We extend a special thank you to all our partners who ensured the patients and carers had positive experiences and outcomes from their visit to receive medical procedures at Kilmore hospital.
The VicOutreach team had the opportunity to meet the families at the hospital. One parent had arrived with two of her children who both required surgery. She shared with us that from the beginning of the coordination of her kids’ operations it was a “straightforward and supportive process.” She was very appreciative that her children did not have to wait long to receive surgery. She was grateful to MDAS and RWAV for being “well cared for and looked after.”
