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How connectivity is enabling health and education in regional Australia

Tradesquare
Posted by Tradesquare on Jun 24, 2021 11:32:09 AM

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown Australians just how much is possible in the fields of digital health and online education when using fast, secure internet connections.

Dr Jen Beer, Head of Health and Education, Regional and Remote at NBN Co. told Catherine van der Meulen in a podcast for TradeSquare, that advances in connectivity are key to helping unlock some of the challenges particularly for those living outside the nation’s capital cities. Now that the NBN network is available to more than 99 per cent of the country’s population, the company is focusing on creating awareness of the nbn™ network’s availability, and the features it enables, a process which includes working with organisations such as the Australian Digital Health Agency, National Rural Health Alliance, and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) to understand their digital strategies, and the present and emerging digital needs of their members.

“We've only just scratched the surface of what is possible through connectivity. Beyond virtual classrooms and telehealth that became the mainstay during the pandemic, we’re seeing edge computing, robotics, AI, virtual and augmented reality, all of which will fundamentally shift education and healthcare as we know it today.”

Now Melbourne-based, Beer grew up in Perth, a proud Darlot woman from the Western Desert region of WA whose grandmother was part of the stolen generation. She sees that background as a very big part of her identity, making her passionate about health and education in the regions, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Throughout the COVID crises, she believes NBN Co. worked hard to support the connection of Indigenous communities who were otherwise very isolated. “I am proud of the support nbn™ provided over the past year to remote communities, and also the importance we continue to place as an organisation on lifting the digital inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through connectivity.”

How connectivity has boosted health professionals
Beer’s role with the NBN centres on working with key stakeholders across the health and education sectors, to understand and address their priorities related to connectivity, and help enable them to achieve the social and financial outcomes that come with being connected. “For health, this means understanding the digital needs and experiences of patients and carers, as well as the healthcare providers and the medical facilities that support them as they transition to a world where virtual care becomes a mainstay of the healthcare system”.

Through initiatives such as the nbn™Telehealth Connectivity Troubleshooting Guide, and helping raise awareness of the availability of the nbn™ network across regional, rural and remote Australia, nbn is seeking to help healthcare providers confidently use videoconferencing for their consultations where face-to-face isn’t possible. “And it’s also about sharing incredible examples, such as Simone Dudley from Therapy Connect, and teams supporting remote Homelands in East Arnhem, who are using connectivity over the nbn™ network to successfully deliver healthcare for their patients who are hours away from their closest provider,” said Beer.

But she says enabling the technology is often the easy part of the process. “One of the key parts of change is change management, and working with the people that will be embracing the technology so they can clearly understand what's in it for them. If people don't understand the benefits of the new solution or process, then it can be really challenging to find the motivation to try something new.”

The NBN network plays a critical role in enabling digitisation across many industries beyond health and education, including agriculture, tourism, the arts and small business – all of which are undergoing significant change partly driven by the pandemic and enabled by digitisation.

“The requirement for and the reliance on the NBN network has never been more important. We really tested our mettle through COVID, with many people working from home, learning from home, and spending a lot more time at home. It's now becomes about building upon that experience and helping industries in their next phase of digitising,” said Beer.

A lot of businesses, she says, have had to transform quickly since the advent of COVID-19.

“But those that will have a successful, sustained transformation are the ones that are really thinking about bringing their people on the journey and co designing to ensure it's something that can be embedded for the future of that organisation.”

Be aware: isolation can impact remote-working staff
One of main challenges that many organisations have faced over the past 12 to 18 months is how to keep their teams together while working remotely. “We all talk about the benefits of the side conversations at the watercooler or when you pass each other in the corridor. How can these conversations be emulated as much as possible in a remote setting. How can organisations shift some of the energy used to manage traditional office spaces, to managing their virtual office?

But the most important part, she says, is the people. “Working remotely has a lot of benefits. You hear stories where people have replaced their morning commute with a workout, or their evening community with dinner with their family.” However, there are a lot of people in situations where home is not necessarily that safe environment many Australians enjoy, says Beer. “It is therefore critical that managers – and organisations as a whole – keep their finger on the pulse with how each of their employees is coping, and quickly identify and address where feelings of isolation might be creeping in.”

You can learn more about the work nbn is doing in important areas like health and education by going to the website https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/regional or from www.facebook.com/nbnaustralia.

Topics: regional, Australia, regional australia, australian businesses

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