National Centre for Farmer Health to be established - Deakin University partners with Western District Health Services

A National Centre for Farmer Health (NCFH) is to be established in Hamilton, Victoria with $2.4 million in funding from the Victorian Government after the Helen and Geoff Handbury Trust donated $1 million to Deakin University for the purpose. The NCFH will be a partnership between Deakin University's Medical School and the Western District Health Service

Professor John Catford, Dean of Deakin University's Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing and Behavioural Sciences, said "The aim of the NCFH is to improve the health and wellbeing of farmers, farm employees and their families across Australia through leadership, advocacy, service, research and education. It will be a unique and comprehensive centre, addressing the health and well being of farmers throughout Australia."

The Centre will focus on five action areas:

1. Sustainable Farm Families: maintain and enhance with an emphasis on increasing outreach to high risk communities;
2. Professional Training and Education: provide undergraduate, postgraduate, continuing education for GPs, nurses, allied health, vets, agronomists, and government staff;
3. Applied Research and Development: enhance and improve the evidence base on cost-effective policies and programs which will improve farmer health, wellbeing and safety;
4. Best Practice Clearing House: transfer knowledge through web-based information, advisory services and professional networks;
5. AgriSafe Programs: introduce innovative occupational health services and a Certified Safe Farm scheme.

Western District Health Service Chief Executive, Jim Fletcher, said "The National Centre for Farmer Health provides a great opportunity for Western District Health Service and Deakin University to work in partnership and be a national leader in preventative health and research into farming community health, well being and safety."

The Centre will collaboratively manage joint programs of the new Deakin Medical School, which is the only rural and regional medical school in Victoria and the Western District Health Service. Programs will not be limited to Victoria but will be relevant to farming communities throughout Australia and overseas.

The Centre will be co-located with the nationally acclaimed Sustainable Farm Families initiative (http://www.sustainablefarmfamilies.org.au) and the Hamilton Hospital branch of the Deakin Medical School which will be educating medical students and doctors in training (http://www.deakin.edu.au/hmnbs/medicine). Through this nexus there will be a critical mass of researchers, educators, clinicians and other health workers in Hamilton who will be able to build national and international expertise in agricultural health.

The Centre will be led by a small team but it is expected that other positions will be created as funds are received. Key support will also be provided by senior academics in Deakin's Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing and Behavioural Sciences and research staff attached to the Greater Green Triangle University Department of Rural Health based at Warrnambool. The Centre will also make use of local expertise based in Western District Health Service and other key regional agencies. In addition a national network of collaborators will be established supported by a website. During the five year start up phase, the Centre will seek to become self sustaining through education courses and research grants and services.