Woorabinda collaborations / Queensland Ambulance Service.

Highly Commended: Post-disaster Category, Federal/State Government Stream, Safer Communities Awards 2006.

The Woorabinda collaborations are not a single project but rather a series of community interactions aimed at identifying areas of concern and initiatives to minimize risks and reduce morbidity and mortality rates within the Aboriginal community of Woorabinda, a community of approx 1100 people located some two hours south-west of Rockhampton. The collaborations make use of best practice existing programs with proven track records, such as the Pikinini booklet and Primesafe Queensland along with new and innovative local approaches to issues as diverse as infant safety and heat related illness. The collaborations are flexible, easily delivered and cost effective with no outlay required by the community other than time and they have a quantifiable benefit that encourages present participation and maintains support for the future. The greatest single initiative however is the general community acceptance of and participation in Senior First Aid training. So great has been the support for this undertaking that the Woorabinda community can boast of a rate of better than 1 in 4 of the adult population holding a current Senior First Aid certificate. The end result of these collaborations is that the community of Woorabinda is in a stronger position now to deal with sudden trauma and acute illness than it has ever been previously. In the event of a significant local disaster such as bushfire or severe storm, those injured will be able to rely on their own people, supported by the single Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic, until such time as support is able to be obtained from the broader community of Central Queensland. The saving of one life in a close-knit community avoids a significant amount of grief, social disruption and expense.