Improving the educational outcomes of regional students by providing online access to specialist health care without the need to travel long distances.
In the Western Downs, local families told us they find it difficult to access allied and specialist health care services due to distances from metropolitan centres. Health-e-Regions was initiated in response to this community need. It gives regional students and their families much-needed specialist health care in school through telehealth. This means they don’t have to take time off or travel long distances to access services.
Health-e-Regions aims to improve health, wellbeing and educational outcomes for students and the wider Western Downs community. It also aims to build additional capacity with educators. Teacher aides and learning support officers sit in on the telehealth sessions and bring the learnings from the program into the classroom.
Through Health-e-Regions students are linked to a specialist at the University of Queensland, via skype or video call. These specialists provide lessons targeted at the need of each student. Five schools across the towns of Tara, Chinchilla, Wandoan and Miles have access to Health-e-Regions. The type of service provided is matched to the need in an area. At some schools the focus is only on speech and language, while others include occupational therapy and audiology services.
Annette Stapleton is seeing growth in her granddaughter
Discover how she’s grown here
The students aren’t the only ones learning through Health-e-Regions
Find out who else is benefitting here
Meet Chinchilla’s new speech pathologist Beth
Find out how Health-e-Regions helped to bring her to the region
Principal Steve Bennett is uniquely placed to see the impact of Health-e-Regions
Hear from Steve hereWorking for Local Communities – Health-e-Regions
Duration: 1 min 39 secs
Explanation: A short video highlighting the benefits that are being provided to local communities through the Health-e-Regions partnership between Shell’s QGC business and the University of Queensland’s Centre for Online Health
Health-e-Regions video transcript
(Background music plays)
Funky, fun music can be heard to start the video.
(Video footage)
Shows a modified tennis ball used in occupational therapy sessions. A young person’s hands are feeding small balls into it.
(Text display)
Working with local communities.
(Video footage)
Scene pans out to show a school student is being instructed on what to do by a specialist who is on an IPad screen.
(Text display)
To improve student outcomes.
(Video footage)
Shows a student smiling as she interacts in the telehealth session, as the Health-e-Regions, Shell QGC and University of Queensland logos flash on the screen. A woman voice can be heard speaking.
(Beth Eden)
I can see every day that there’s barriers to accessing speech and language therapy in rural settings.
(Video footage)
Shows a lady – Beth Eden – standing in the school yard speaking to the camera.
(Text display)
Beth Eden - Speech Pathologist. Department of Education.
(Beth Eden)
The Health-e-Regions telehealth really assists with the access to those services that students need.
(Video footage)
Shows another young student interacting with a specialist online, as she sits in the classroom with a teacher aide. Another lady’s voice is introduced, as the scene changes to show another young student interacting in occupational therapy through telehealth.
(Sally Harth)
Health-e-Regions has been a huge benefit for our family. It’s convenience. It’s access to quality therapists, which impacts the day to day life of my children…
(Video footage)
Shows Sally Harth standing in a playground, talking towards the camera.
(Text display)
Sally Harth – Parent, Chinchilla
(Sally Harth)
With clarity of speech, improvement in communication skills.
(Video footage)
Shows the entrance sign for Chinchilla State School and then cuts to show Wandoan State School welcoming sign. Another lady can be heard speaking as the video continues.
(Melissa Verdon)
Whereas if kids were going away offsite to a service….
(Video footage)
As the video continues it shows signs at the Tara State College and Miles State School – showing the schools impacted by the program. Viewer can then see Melissa Verdon speaking in a classroom.
(Text display)
Melissa Verdon – Support teacher, Chinchilla State School
(Melissa Verdon)
The communication between that therapist and the classroom and the school it’s not as easy to do.
(Video footage)
Showing an aerial shot of the town of Tara. Another lady’s voice is introduced as the video continues. The scene shows a sign saying ‘Welcome to St Joseph’s Catholic School. The Health-e-Regions four-wheel drive can be seen pulling up.
(Tara Fisher)
Our school only has 30 kids, so I didn’t think we’d get a look in at big programs like this taking an interest in our children, but it has and it is just phenomenal.
(Video footage)
Shows a Student from St Joseph’s smiling and proudly displaying his work as he sits in a telehealth session. The scene then cuts to Tara Fisher, sitting in the St Joseph’s school library.
(Text display)
Tara Fisher – Teacher, St Joseph’s School, Tara.
(Tara Fisher)
They’ve grown leaps and bounds from starting with a significant stutter, to now in Year 1 barely ever hearing it.
(Video footage)
Showing a young school student and an adult reading a book together. The next scene shows another young student interacting with a therapist online using an IPad.
(Tara Fisher)
It’s just amazing and it’s impacted their social skills and they’re so much more happy to communicate with both teachers and friends and their parents.
(Text display)
Students are so much more happy communicating.
(Video display)
Showing a young girl interacting in another session, using drawings and play-doh. The next scene shows another young girl interacting with her teacher as she sits in another therapy session.
(Tara Fisher)
It’s just made a really good impact, which makes us feel good because at the end of the day, us teachers, we only want what’s best for the kids that we’re teaching, and you can definitely see the change that has happened.
(Video footage)
Showing different scenes of students and the therapists laughing together as they undertake different activities. Melissa Verdon begins to speak again as the video continues, while a shot of a young girl smiling happily is displayed. Melissa is then shown again in the classroom.
(Melissa Verdon)
And the impact that we can see on the educational outcomes of the students because of this program is amazing.
(Text display)
We are seeing real impact.
(Video footage)
Young school girl smiles happily at the camera.
(Text display)
Working with local communities.
(Video footage)
Scene then fades to white screen as the Shell QGC logos are displayed.
(Background music)
The Sound of Shell mnemonic concludes the video.
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