Australian Medical Center Serves Rural Communities
10 December 2024 |
The ELIA Lifestyle Medicine Centre, or Empowering Lifestyle Innovation & Advocates, has committed itself to extending care to rural communities in New South Wales, Australia.
Center medical director Andrea Matthews celebrated the impact of accessible medical care for rural patients,
“Access to health services is a major issue complicated by barriers of distance, infrastructure, lack of resources, and funding,” she said in an interview with Adventist Record. “One of the positive outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the introduction of more accessible telehealth services, providing specialized care for patients and helping take the pressure off local clinicians.”
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 28% of the Australian population, about seven million people, live in rural and remote communities, resulting in poorer health outcomes compared to their city counterparts.
Patients in rural communities have often felt left on the sidelines of innovation and accessibility; however, the 12-week clinical programs offered by The ELIA Lifestyle Medicine Centre, which is under Sydney Adventist Hospital, rectify this issue. Individual appointments are available for those seeking a simple check-up and consultation. Twelve-week clinical programs are available for those with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and anyone with a strong family history of diabetes, with a separate program for patients diagnosed with or at high risk of breast cancer.
