Collinsville locals joined representatives of the QCoal Foundation, Government, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) (Queensland Section) to celebrate ten years of continuous service delivery by the mobile RFDS Dental Service.
The community fun day event, one of a number to recognise this milestone, also acknowledged the continued support from the Collinsville community which has hosted the dental service 14 times in the past decade. Additionally, the town was the location of the first patient appointments back in 2013.
QCoal Foundation CEO Sylvia Bhatia explained that continuity of service was a hallmark of the RFDS Dental Service.
“Over the years we have heard strong patient feedback about the quality and consistency of the RFDS team’s approach and the high quality of care,” Ms Bhatia said.
“In addition to the anecdotal feedback we receive, two studies were commissioned to better understand the economic and social impact of the service in enhancing the resilience of regional and remote communities.
“We know that for every $1 in Mobile Dental Service funding, $1.80 of economic and social benefit was returned to the community.
“Additionally, we know that regular, scheduled visitation by the RFDS Dental Service directly into communities has overcome key barriers - mobile service delivery overcomes accessibility, Government and philanthropic support overcomes affordability and the RFDS’s reputation for quality care ensures continued high rates of community uptake and overcomes any emotional barriers to visiting the dentist.
“As Founding Partner of the Service, the QCoal Foundation team was proud and delighted to celebrate in Collinsville and share in commemorating this milestone with the local community.
“At the event we paid tribute to the RFDS (Queensland Section) for all of their hard work and dedication and to the current and past members of the Dental team who have delivered so much for regional and remote Queenslanders,” she concluded.
Chair of RFDS (Queensland Section) Russell Postle said the past decade of mobile dental care has proven how great the need for the service is across regional and remote areas.
“We’ve certainly seen significant take up year on year since 2013,” Mr Postle said.
“More than 21,000 appointments have been made for specialist dental care since the mobile unit began.
“Our dedicated team is always in demand, and we hope to be able to expand our service offering in the future to assist even more Queenslanders.”
The RFDS acknowledges the support of QCoal Group, QCoal foundation and the Australian Government in establishing the RFDS Dental Service in 2013.
