Rural Health Education Foundation
| File:Rhef logo.gif | |
| Formation | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Type | Not-for-profit organisation |
| Headquarters |  Deakin, Australian Capital Territory |
Key people | Dr Brian Bowring, Chair; Don Perlgut, CEO |
| Website | www.rhef.com.au |
The Rural Health Education Foundation is Australia’s pre-eminent provider of television-based health education for doctors, pharmacists, nurses and allied health professionals.
The Foundation provides independent, accredited distance education services to general practitioners and other health professionals working in rural and remote Australia. It also provides high-quality community educational resources, paying particular attention to the health, medical and education needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Background
Founded in 1992, the Rural Health Education Foundation is a non-government, not-for-profit organisation that provides an education and information “lifeline to the bush”, targeting Australia's rural and remote health professionals as well as the communities in which they serve.
The Foundation shrinks the vast distances of rural Australia by disseminating distance education programs using digital satellite technology, the Internet, “enduring” materials (DVDs), other television services and new technologies as they become available.
Mission
The Foundation's mission is to produce and deliver topical, high quality, evidence-based educational programs enriched by the voluntary participation of Australia’s best health and medical experts, enabling health professionals to keep their skills up to date without having to leave their families, their clients, and the communities who rely on them.
Program production
The Rural Health Education Foundation has produced several hundred health-themed educational television programs covering a broad range of subjects including Aged Care, Obstetrics, Infection Control, Child and Adolescent Health, Continence, Mental Health, Oncology, Nursing, and health issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
Foundation-produced programs are designed to address the unique education and information needs of medical practitioners, health workers and communities in rural and remote Australia.
The programs, which are all accredited by relevant professional organisations, feature presentations from medical and health professionals, usually including at least one rural health professional, who are leaders in their disciplines, and allow for input from the target audience on material presented.
Program distribution
The primary distribution mechanism for Foundation-produced programs is the Rural Health Satellite Network, an Australia-wide network of more than 660 satellite TV receiving sites. The Rural Health Education Foundation’s satellite network is one of the largest dedicated networks of its kind in the world, reaching more than 90 per cent of Australia's rural doctors and other health professionals.
Several programs produced by the Foundation have also been aired on Australia's SBS TV network and shown at health-themed conferences around Australia.
In addition, streamed versions (both full video and audio-only) of most Rural Health Education Foundation programs are freely available through the Foundation's website. New programs are sometimes presented as a live broadcast and web simulcast, enabling viewers to participate and ask questions during the program.
DVD versions of most programs are also available for purchase.
Target audience
The primary audience for Rural Health Education Foundation programs is doctors, pharmacists, nurses, administrators and other health workers operating in rural and remote Australia. For these health professionals, Foundation programs provide an opportunity to undertake continuing professional education and receive timely information emanating from national launches or events of national importance.
The secondary audience is the communities these health professionals serve - the patients and their families, carers and friends. For this stakeholder group, the Foundation's educational programs provide in-depth information about the specific condition they have, or have an interest in.
The Foundation pays particular attention to the health, medical and education needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Funding and income
The Rural Health Education Foundation receives funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. It also receives funding and support from corporations, other health-focused organisations, and philanthropic trusts and individuals.
The Foundation derives income from sales of its programs in the DVD format.
Governance
The Rural Health Education Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation governed by an eight-person board of directors, all of whom serve in a voluntary capacity. Day-to-day operations are managed by a Chief Executive Officer and a team of full-time staff based in Deakin in the Australian Capital Territory.
The Foundation is an eligible tax deductible organisation (deductible gift recipient, or DGR).
External links
- Australian health organisations
- Australian education organisations
- Non-profit organisations based in Australia
- Non-governmental organisations based in Australia
- Organisations serving indigenous Australians
- Medical and health foundations
- Educational foundations
- Medical and health organizations
- Educational organizations