Health cente preparing for budget submission with Leichhardt MP Matt Smith
An evolving Cairns health facility fighting for survival has “armed” federal Member for Leichhardt Matt Smith with the right pitch to help lock in ongoing funding.
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An evolving Cairns health facility fighting for survival has “armed” federal Member for Leichhardt Matt Smith with the right pitch to help lock in ongoing funding.
The new Labor MP was accompanied by his predecessor Warren Entsch on Monday for a meeting with Cairns Organisation United for Cancer Health (COUCH), which was seeking $7.5m over five years.
The cancer facility’s federal funding through the Primary Health Network expired in March, but in April it unveiled a business case which outlined its plan to expand its services and eventually become self-sufficient, while operating on donations in the interim.
The meeting came as federal parliament prepared to resume on July 22, with Mr Smith seeking advice from Health Minister Mark Butler’s office on funding solutions for COUCH.
“I did have a conversation with the department just around what a budget submission might look like and that’s going to be our next steps,” Mr Smith said.
“Obviously, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, but (a budget submission) is the one that I think has probably got the best chance of success at this point in time.
“But I’ll be liaising with Mark (Butler) and the department throughout this process to see if anything else might pop up for us.
“From a COUCH perspective, it’s making sure that I’m as armed as possible when I go in to have those conversations (with the minister).”
Mr Smith said the health department’s advice didn’t specify any prerequisites for a budget submission, but it was supportive of the organisation’s new business plan.
“They’ve got their GP now there … and this is showing that they are taking the steps they need to, they’re moving forwards,” he said.
The business case identified the centre would scale up its patient-centred medical home model, grow the number of allied health professionals, including exercise physiologists, dietitians and mental health experts, and add general practice specialising in cancer care.
With about 3000 cancer diagnoses in the region per year, the centre had an average of about 400 patients under care, but could scale up to a capacity of 2000.
Mr Smith, a former basketballer with the Taipans, said he had a long connection with the care provider.
“(Founders) Pip and Charlie Woodward were big supporters of the Taipans when I arrived here and really good to me personally over the first few years of my time,” he said.
“Very supportive of the playing group and the organisation when it ran into financial trouble in late 2008. So I’ve had a long history with the Woodward family.”
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Originally published as Health cente preparing for budget submission with Leichhardt MP Matt Smith
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