Dedicated optometrist Kyriacos (Kyri) Mavrolefteros was recently honoured with the prestigious Christine Craigie Annual Award for Distinguished Service in Optometry. Presented by Optometry NSW/ACT, the award recognises outstanding contributions to the profession and celebrates Kyri’s more than two decades of Outreach eye care in remote NSW, and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of optometrists.

Thirteen local health professionals from a range of disciplines met on 29 May for a workshop hosted by the Collaborative Care Project in Eden and identified a set of practical activities to be progressed between now and the end of 2026.

On Saturday, 23 May, the NSW Ministry of Health and RDN Health partnered to deliver an interactive masterclass on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a focus on GPs working across south-western Sydney and western Sydney.

Tomorrow, 26 May 2026, is National Sorry Day. It marks the parliamentary submission of the 1997 Bringing Them Home Report; the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families. The landmark report drew on 500 testimonies from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and made 54 recommendations for healing and reconciliation in response to the forcible removal and mistreatment of Indigenous children from their families and communities, known as the Stolen Generations.

Before taking up studies of medicine, John Qi imagined a future behind the camera in film. When presented with the opportunity to participate in the Outreach Student Placement Program (OSPP) and shadow an Outreach provider at Bourke, John decided to seize the opportunity to combine both passions and produce a Social Justice Project documentary.

Children in Western New South Wales often face significant barriers to accessing paediatricians to receive behavioural assessment required to unlock the supports they need to thrive, including long wait times and limited local services. Through funding support from the Healthy Ears Better Hearing Better Listening (HEBHBL) program, this gap is being addressed by bringing multidisciplinary care closer to home.

When the name Dr Patrick Oakley is mentioned to health practitioners, doctors in training and patients around the Newcastle and Hunter New England Health District, it can quickly be concluded that ‘revered’ would be an understatement to describe the regard in which he is held. A hugely impactful yet unassuming and humble doctor who has devoted his life to improving the lives of others, Dr Oakley recently spoke to RDN Health about the importance of offering Outreach clinics, and what’s kept him coming back to the same communities for so many years.

Outreach service planning for 2026–27 is well underway, with RDN Health engaging key partners across NSW and the ACT in a series of collaborative planning discussions. This process is designed to ensure services remain relevant, cost-effective, well utilised, culturally safe, and responsive to the highest priority community needs.

Congratulations to Kamilaroi woman, Adjunct professor Nicole Turner who was announced ‘NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year’ at the NSW Women of the Year Awards ceremony on Thursday as part of NSW Women's Week 2026 (2-8 March).

In 1986, the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) opened, driven by local Elders seeking cultural and community-based comprehensive primary health care for the town. 40 years on, the hard work and dedication of the service has made an impactful contribution to the health and wellbeing of the wider region.

For the last ten years, RDN has secured funding under the Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF) to contract the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) for the delivery of a female GP Outreach service.