Media Releases
October 2009
Wesley Research Institute to establish Mitsubishi Development Rural and Remote Health Centre
The Wesley Research Institute is establishing a Rural and Remote Health Centre aimed at improving patient care in the bush.
The Centre was made possible through a $500,000 commitment by the Australian-based mining company Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd to underwrite its start-up.
It will be located within the Wesley Research Institute’s Health and Medical Research Centre which occupies the top floor of the new East Wing of the Wesley Hospital at Auchenflower, Brisbane.
The Centre will make maximum use of modern communications technology to research better ways to support the health of people in remote Australia.
Announcing the major initiative today, the Director of the Wesley Research Institute, Professor Julie Campbell, said:
“The Mitsubishi Development Rural and Remote Health Centre will help thousands of people struggling with isolation across our vast land. Through research, we will be improving the delivery of psychological and outpatient services to people disadvantaged by the tyranny of distance, whether they are in our far flung towns, on pastoral properties or in mining communities.
“This is a classic case of the Wesley Research Institute’s hands-on approach aimed at delivering immediate benefits to patients, in efficient collaboration with other research groups, and supported by a fine, community-conscious company.
”Mitsubishi Development’s support is absolutely crucial to the creation of the Centre. Without it, this project would simply not proceed and the anticipated, tangible advances in rural and remote health care would not be developed.”
The Managing Director of Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd, Mr Kirk Yamanaka, said his company was very pleased to be supporting the new Centre.
“Mitsubishi Development has been a long term participant in Australian mining and we are aware of the health issues facing people in rural and remote places. We also recognise the expertise and commitment of the Wesley Research Institute through our long association. It is very appropriate for us to be the catalyst for the establishment of this important Centre as part of our corporate social responsibility,” Mr Yamanaka said.
The work of the Mitsubishi Development Rural and Remote Health Centre
Australia faces significant challenges in dealing with rural and remote health, challenges that are particularly evident in Queensland due to its greater decentralisation than other States.
Australians living in rural and remote areas have higher rates of risk factors and mortality from chronic diseases such as diabetes than their metropolitan counterparts. Almost a quarter of people with chronic diseases also suffer from depression which seriously impairs their recovery, particularly in rural and remote locations where there are few psychiatrists. Therefore, the Mitsubishi Development Rural and Remote Research Centre will be concerned with psychological issues as well as physical health conditions.
Researchers will focus on the use of modern communications technology to also provide the delivery of support services to patients once they have been discharged from hospital and return to their homes.
The research will be led by Professor David Kavanagh, a distinguished psychologist at the Queensland University of Technology’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation and an experienced researcher who has served previously on the Board of the Wesley Research Institute.
Working in collaboration with other established centres, researchers will undertake projects to improve the interface between physical and mental health. I nitial research will aim to improve outcomes from cardiovascular disorders, addressing both the depression that often accompanies it and also physical health maintenance including stopping smoking, improving activity levels, addressing diet and adhering to medication. The emphasis will be on recovery in its broadest sense, maximising the quality of life, ability to cope with severe disorders and social functioning.
Researchers will collaborate closely with patients’ doctors, exchanging information and engaging the doctors in helping with patients’ health maintenance goals and activities. It is expected that many doctors in rural and remote locations will welcome the specialist support.
The Mitsubishi Development Rural and Remote Health Centre will be concerned with the whole person, including not only specific issues such as coping with depression after operations and adhering to medical regimes, but also holistic considerations involving nutrition, exercise and overall lifestyle.
Facilities for the Centre have already been allocated. Work will commence within coming weeks as initial research staff are appointed.
Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd
Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd is the Wesley Research Institute’s oldest corporate partner, having sponsored research annually throughout the entire 15-year life of the Institute.
Part of the Mitsubishi Corporation, one of the world’s largest trading and mining companies, Mitsubishi Development ranks among Australia’s five largest coal miners and the world’s three largest coking coal exporters.
