Yarrabah Haemodialysis in Community During COVID-19

Biosecurity restrictions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic presented significant obstacles to clients accessing care. For the residents of Yarrabah requiring dialysis, this threatened to displace them from the community to continue to access life-sustaining haemodialysis.

Not only did this model support the continuation of life sustaining care, the move On Country reduced travel time for consumers and costs for the service, which can be reinvested in delivering more care.

Many months later and beyond the biosecurity restrictions, the residents of Yarrabah on dialysis are all able to dialyse within their community, on a single shift. This has measurably improved their lifestyle on dialysis, saving about six (6) hours of travel time a week for each resident.