RBWH Emergency Response Coordinator Lois McCreddan recently assisted with COVID-19 vaccinations in far west NSW as part of her work with Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT). 

The joint deployment between AUSMAT and CareFlight was predominantly focussed on vaccinating vulnerable populations.  

The team travelled to Wentworth and supported the local health service, many of whom had been working for weeks in a row to provide for the community.  

“We assisted with two large vaccination clinics in Wentworth and Dareton, seeing almost 300 people per day. The numbers were not huge compared to large days at our RBWH vaccination clinic however the populations of these towns are less than 2,000 people, so 300 per day was a lot,” said Lois. 

“We also travelled to a town called Balranald to assist with a drive through vaccination clinic for the wider population and provided a mobile vaccination service for the local indigenous health service Maari Ma. In addition, we travelled to Broken Hill where we spent a week vaccinating the vulnerable indigenous community in their homes.   

“I had the opportunity to walk the streets in full PPE and vaccinate the locals and share stories. It’s an experience that I likely won’t ever get to do again and a great way to connect with the locals in their front yard.”