The Victorian government has launched a new Bush Nursing pilot project, to improve access to healthcare services for farmers in remote areas.
Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas says $325,000 will go to six Bush Nursing Centres, in remote locations.
The pilot will take place in east Gippsland's high-country, with centres in Dargo, Ensay, Gelantipy District, Swifts Creek, Buchan, and Cann Valley all receiving funding.
The centres will deliver additional services while providing primary health, community, clinical, emergency, home-based and referral services.
"We know farmers in East Gippsland have faced many challenges - this program will provide opportunities for locals to benefit from more of the services our health system provides," Ms Thomas said.
"Improved access to health services and support in remote areas is important to ensuring our agriculture sector continues to thrive."
The project is funded by Smarter, Safer Farms, a $20 million government initiative to improve safety and skills outcomes for Victorian farmers.
Ms Thomas said the funding would be used to provide farming communities with the information, tools and resources they needed to improve health outcomes and build resilience after several difficult years of drought and bushfires.
The Bush Nursing pilot project will concentrate on supporting farmers who are geographically harder to reach, resulting in lower levels of engagement with health care providers.
With a focus on preventative healthcare, each centre will work to identify early risk factors amongst farmers and their families, and local nurses will use their expertise to provide tailored support to the community across a range of services.
Outcomes of the project will guide future health and wellbeing programs for farmers in remote areas of Victoria.
