Dr Kim Webber is the new Chair of the Healthy Communities Foundation Australia Ltd, and Ms Jane Gray is the new Deputy Chair.
The Foundation was established in 2001 to assist rural and remote communities at risk of losing local primary care services. Today, it operates in more than 75 rural towns to improve access to care, and provides services to a catchment of more than half a million people in locations such as Collarenebri, Armidale, Leeton, Balranald, Goondiwindi and Gippsland.
Foundation Chair Dr Kim Webber (Left) and Foundation Deputy Chair Ms Jane Gray (right)
Dr Webber succeeds Mr Richard Anicich AM as Chair. Dr Webber has 25 years of experience in health policy and reform including as General Manager of Strategy for the Australian Digital Health Agency, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Health Alliance, and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Health Workforce Agency Australia. Dr Webber also served as Australia’s representative on the World Health Organisation’s Expert Panel that developed international guidelines for the recruitment and retention of health professionals in remote and rural areas.
Dr Webber said: “The Foundation was established by rural people more than 20 years ago with support from the State and Federal Government. The Foundation worked to make it easy for medical practitioners to operate a general practice in rural areas of Australia. It continues to implement evidence-based, proven approaches to retaining and sustaining health care in rural communities in Australia in partnership with communities.
“Building on this success, I am committed to continuing to work closely with our communities to identify place-based needs and co-design successful place-based solutions”.
Jane Gray was elected as the new Deputy Chair of the Foundation. Jane has spent more than 20 years managing communication, partnerships and research for the Hunter New England Local Health District in NSW, and is a leading proponent of improving health care for rural and remote people. She is a non-executive director of the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation and is Chair of Rigpa, an international network of centres that offer teaching in the philosophy of Buddha based on the authentic Tibetan tradition.
Jane said: “I am very proud of the work done by the Foundation improving access to health care in collaboration with some of Australia’s most disadvantaged communities. The Foundation has grown to become a very large NGO provider of on-site, mobile and virtual care services and works with governments and communities to fill gaps in service access in disadvantaged locations. I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to support the continued growth of the Foundation over the coming years”.
Dr Webber and Ms Gray jointly said: “We have an outstanding team of national clinical and business leaders on our Board, and we look forward to working very closely with our colleagues to bring their expertise and experience to bear on the challenges confronting rural health in Australia”.
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For more information, or to arrange interviews with Dr Webber, please contact Cat Coomans, Media and Communications Lead on 0448 170 845.