Satellite Health Centre supporting Bribie Island community
Bribie Island local and Wakka Wakka Elder Aunty Hazel Cowburn at Bribie Island Satellite Health Centre (Yarun)
Bribie Island locals like Aunty Hazel Cowburn can now receive the care they need close to home thanks to services like the Bribie Island Satellite Health Centre (Yarun).
Aunty Hazel has lived on Bribie Island for almost fifty years and is a proud Wakka Wakka Elder with connections to Kabi Kabi, Goreng Goreng and Butchulla tribes.
“A lot of us locals don’t like travelling so if we can stay this side of the bridge, it’s good,” Aunty Hazel said.
The Satellite Health Centre offers a range of services based on the health needs of the community and incorporates outpatient community-based healthcare services and the Minor Injury and Illness Clinic.
It hosts the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Hub which provides services to people of all ages who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin and their immediate families including babies, children and non-Aboriginal or non-Torres Strait Islander partners, who reside in the Metro North Health region. The hub is led by nurse navigators and caters for people who have complex health conditions.
The service also includes Ngarrama Maternal Health, a community-based home midwifery group practice offering outpatient care delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and infant health care workers.
Additionally, it provides perinatal mental health support, a nurse-led community service that focuses on the emotional health and wellbeing of individuals and their families during the perinatal period, from conception to one year after the birth of a baby.
These services have also benefitted Aunty Hazel’s family who engaged with the service in the lead up to birth of her granddaughter.
“When my grandson’s partner Taya was pregnant, I went with her to the Bribie Island Satellite Centre as her support person,” Aunty Hazel said.
“Taya’s heart was racing, and she had a fever, and felt no movement with the baby.
“The workers outside greeted us, they were just beautiful. We didn’t have to wait long.
“They asked if we were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and the worker was there straight away to support us.”
Aunty Hazel said Taya received amazing care from the medical team at the health centre who then organised ambulance transport to Caboolture Hospital.
“The doctor made sure we had everything before we left, the preparation for blood tests, urine, and paperwork. We felt really prepared,” she said.
Taya was suffering from influenza, a scary experience as a first-time mum-to-be. She has accessed care at the local facility twice and is grateful for the support she has received from the Centre’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers.
“When you’re pregnant, you’re scared and want to make sure the baby is ok,” Taya said.
“My experience at Bribie Island Satellite Health Centre was good and I’d recommend it to anyone. The staff and doctors were lovely. It was quick and I really enjoyed my time there.”