Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Clinic

Keperra has a significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and this practice works within the community to build goodwill and trust to ensure our local indigenous peoples feel welcomed and cared for in their community.

The practice bulk bills all people who identify as ATSI at all times. We offer annual detailed preventive health checks and provide general medical care at other times.

Keperra Family Practice was invited by local aboriginal community members to partner with the community, through North West Aboriginal and Islander Community Association (NWAICA ), and Queensland Health Indigenous Health Unit, the Health and Community Care funded Respite Centre at Enoggera and the Brisbane Metro North Medicare Local through its Commonwealth funded Closing The Gap program.

The stakeholder group meets regularly to facilitate making bookings, arranging transport, and ensuring the patients have an Elder or an Aboriginal Health Worker with them so they feel culturally safe. In this way we hope to provide a friendly service that is conveniently located, while referring people with more complex health needs to an Aboriginal Medical Service.

Dr Megan Kennedy has worked with the AMS at South Brisbane for many years and Dr Anna Cheriyan has worked for the Ipswich AMS for five years. Dr Trish Baker spent her early years as a doctor working with Aboriginal people in western Queensland then later in the Northern Territory.

These doctors have a strong and enduring commitment to working with our indigenous community to improve their health in the very broadest sense. It is a national shame that this group of our population has the worst health outcomes and the shortest life spans of all Australians.

Teaching Practice

We face a shortage of doctors and nurses to treat our ageing population. At Keperra Family Practice & Skin Cancer Clinic we believe we have an obligation to help train the next generation of doctors and nurses. We welcome medical students and nursing students to the practice and teach them as part of their university training. We see this as part of our commitment to improve the health of our community, over the longer term.

We also have a GP Registrar in the practice. A Registrar is a young doctor who has entered a training program (the General Practice Training Program in our case) to gain further supervised experience and complete study requirements, before sitting an exam to qualify to practice as a General Practitioner.

Healthy Lifestyle Expo

Healthy Lifestyle Expo is held every second year. Visitors gain information on a healthy lifestyle from an extensive range of allied health professionals and visiting organisations.

It is organised by Great Western's Health Connection group, a progressive alliance of health providers which include Keperra Family Practice and Skin Cancer Clinic, a pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, pathology, dentist and optometrist.

The next Expo will be held on Saturday, 22 October 2011 from 9am to 2pm at the Great Western Super Centre. It is free to attend and will provide visitors with a wide range of information on proactive and preventative healthcare.

Generation One

Generation One is a movement to bring ALL Australians together to end the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in one generation. We are a proud member of Generation One. Visit http://generationone.org.au to read more or to join this very worthwhile organization yourself.

Charity Morning Teas

Keperra Family Practice holds a morning tea every three months. Our staff bakes cakes, scones, and pikelets and serves fresh tea and coffee to patients and visitors for a gold coin donation. The money raised is donated to a health charity.

Each year we hold a Biggest Morning Tea to support the Cancer Council Queensland.

Transition the Grove

Keperra Family Practice and Skin Cancer Clinic is a proud member of Transition the Grove, which is committed to building a stronger, more sustainable and connected local community. For more information on this local community group visit http://www.transitionthegrove.org.au