Partnering with the Palm Island First Nations Community to Deliver COVID-19 Care on Country

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) and its partners aimed to keep the remote indigenous community of Palm Island safe while also keeping connection to country strong.

The challenge was to prepare and enact an effective COVID-19 response which considered the limited access to the Island, transience of the community, varying levels of health literacy and overcrowding. THHS had to ensure a strong focus on the First Nations people’s connection to culture, country, family, and community, whilst maintaining the community’s safety during a COVID-19 surge. Find out how they did it and the power of working together to keep communities safe.