Five new brain and spinal cord injury research projects are set to share in a total of $4.7 million funding from the Queensland Government to develop new treatments primarily aimed at young children and teenagers living in regional parts of the State.
The new Research and Education Advancing Care in Health (REACH) grants program will back clinical and research teams in their efforts.
One of the recipients, Back to Belonging, is a 12-month program which will provide hands on assistance for North Queensland parents with young children who have suffered a brain or spinal injury.
Practitioners will stay with families after they are discharged from hospital and help deliver ongoing treatment while trying to get life back to as normal as possible for patients.
Senior Staff Specialist, Paediatric Rehabilitation Associate Professor Margot Bosanquet said the Back to Belonging project focused on strengthening care in the critical year after children return home from hospital.
“Townsville University Hospital is a major paediatric trauma centre for North Queensland and cares for more than a quarter of Queensland’s severe paediatric trauma cases, yet access to specialist rehabilitation and coordinated transition support has been limited,” Associate Professor Bosanquet said.
“Too often, families describe the period after discharge as the point where support drops away and coordination becomes hardest.
“This pilot is designed to bridge that gap by providing dedicated transition coordinators in Townsville, supported by a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team delivering intensive day rehabilitation at Townsville University Hospital, as well as home and school-based outreach.”
The five projects were selected based on their statewide impact, strong clinical and research collaboration, and long-term outcomes, making sure funding is directed to initiatives that deliver real results.
“These projects will help Queenslanders with brain or spinal cord injuries on the road to recovery, to access care closer to where they live, after they are discharged from hospital,” said Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Tim Nicholls.
The projects delivered by the grants will complement the Government’s networked approach to spinal cord injury services, and are designed to support timely and equitable access to specialist medical, nursing and allied health care for adults and children, the Minister said.
