After more than a decade of delivering the best care possible in Townsville, the Icon Cancer Centre Townsville team have built a strong relationship with the local community.
How our Townsville team are serving our servicemen and women
“We are serving them, so they can continue to serve our communities.”
The trust built has paved the way for meaningful work with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) – making us a trusted source of support for one of Townsville’s largest and most respected communities.
The collaboration with the ADF is an Icon Townsville initiative aiming to enhance our care and patient experience for one of the largest populations in Townsville, ADF personnel.
Icon Townsville Site Manager, Georgina Whelan said this collaboration has been many years in the making and is a crucial step forward in our relationship with the ADF while continuing to provide the best possible care to the Townsville community.
“We are Australia’s largest garrison city, and a further 500 servicemen and women coming to Townsville within the next 12 months,” Georgina explained.
“It is important for Icon, and the Townsville community that we have a strong relationship and good communication with the ADF so we can provide them the care they need, when they need.
“I want to solidify Icon as the go-to for defence doctors and nurses on base – someone who they come to when their personnel require care or if there are questions on a potential diagnosis.
“It also means we are doing everything we can to ensure our servicemen and women can receive exceptional and timely care so they can get back out and serve.”
Care in community
The Icon Townsville team will work closely with doctors and nurses at Townsville Lavarack Barracks to raise awareness of our work and how we can assist through providing up to date education on various blood disorders and cancers.
As part of our collaboration, our hematologists and oncologists from Icon Townville are hosting lunch and learn sessions on base with ADF GPs and nurses. The first session in March focused on blood disorders with Dr Sunaina Miranda – and received raving feedback from those who attended. In June, the team will be back to focus on updates on skin cancer treatments in medical oncology.
Building trusted relationships
By hosting these sessions, our Townsville team have opened line of communication with the base, which allows us to understand the needs of our servicemen and women and give ADF medical personnel the chance to ask questions and collaborate with our team.
Georgina said the team will continue to grow and strengthen their relationship with the ADF and Townville Barracks.
“We have been slowly building a relationship with the ADF over our past 10 years in Townsville, and we aim to continue to strengthen this long into the future,” Georgina said.
“We are grateful to finally have the opportunity to speak to them in person – putting a trusted face to a name – so they feel comfortable to reach out when they have an issue or question.
“We are hosting two sessions with the GPs and nurses on base this year, and we plan to hold education sessions at least once a quarter – as well as being a trusted source of support outside of these sessions.
“At Icon we are committed to being part of the communities we serve and ensure people have access to support, education and treatment as close to home as possible
“This is another example of how we continue to be part of the local community and build meaningful relationships for healthier lives.”
Learn more about Icon Cancer Centre Townsville.