Karratha Central Healthcare Logo

Blog

Karratha Central Healthcare NDIS Appointment
Karratha Central Healthcare Brand Asset
Over the weekend, Jenni and Abby attended the Aboriginal Health Conference in Perth which was an opportunity to connect, share knowledge, and explore practical, community-led approaches that support lasting health outcomes for individuals, families, communities, and Country.
 
Jenni’s key takeaway was the importance of delivering culturally safe, community-led healthcare where we listen to Aboriginal voices and build genuine partnerships to strengthen our holistic care through the Strengthening Aboriginal Program.
 
Abby found the conference to be a valuable learning experience, gaining a better understanding of different health frameworks and key communication strategies will assist with creating a culturally safe space for her clients.
 
It was also a fantastic opportunity to connect with other health professionals, share ideas, reflect on our current practices and bring back insights to our community, team, services and programs. 
Join us in shaping the future of healthcare in the Pilbara!
We’re seeking passionate and committed individuals to join our Board of Directors.
As a community-focused, not-for-profit organisation, we’re dedicated to delivering high-quality, culturally responsive healthcare across the Pilbara.
This is your opportunity to help guide our organisation and contribute to improving health outcomes for our communities.
If you have skills, experience, or a passion for strengthening community health, we’d love to hear from you.
To request a nomination form, email us, or complete the online nomination form here: https://forms.finger-ink.com/…/board-director…
Nominations close: 31 August 2026

Abby and Jenni joined a group of local businesses and service providers at the 𝗢𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

The forum was an opportunity to connect, learn and celebrate the importance of health, wellbeing and community in remote living.
We were thrilled to showcase our services dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of those in Onslow and the surrounding communities.
We’re excited to welcome our Podiatrist Mackenzie back to our team!
Many of our regular clients will be thrilled to see a familiar face returning, and we’re delighted to have her expertise back on our team.
For those who haven’t met Mackenzie before, she brings a wealth of experience following her time as a High-Risk Podiatrist in Melbourne, where she specialised in diabetic wound care and limb preservation.
Whether you need routine nail care, custom orthotics, a biomechanical assessment, or treatment for a foot or lower limb injury, Mackenzie is here to help keep you moving comfortably and confidently.
We were thrilled to join the PKKP Aboriginal Corporation NAIDOC Week Community event!
This year’s event aligned with the national NAIDOC Week theme, “50 Years of Deadly”, which marks five decades of celebrating the voices, achievements, strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
It was a great day of community, connection and understanding.
We are so happy to welcome Jenni to our team as our Registered Nurse/Care Coordinator!
Jenni is a proud Ngarluma woman and Registered Nurse/Care Coordinator who is passionate about supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing.
As a Registered Nurse/Care Coordinator, Jenni works with individuals and families through our Strengthening Aboriginal Health Program, providing health checks to identify health needs, support preventative healthcare and promote overall wellbeing.
Through care coordination, Jenni will help clients navigate the healthcare system, access services and support, and stay connected with the care they need throughout their health journey.
Working closely with individuals, families and healthcare providers, Jenni is committed to delivering compassionate, culturally safe and person-centred care. She enjoys building strong relationships within the community and empowering people to take an active role in their health and wellbeing. 💜
We’d like to thank Mineral Resources for their generous community grant, which has made a real difference to our service delivery not only in Karratha but on outreach to Onslow, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Bindi, Wakathuni and Bellary Springs Communities.
 
Thanks to this support, we’ve been able to purchase essential equipment including a multipurpose plinth, otoscope, podiatry cabinet, privacy screens, and a portable car fridge. These resources are already helping us provide more efficient, comfortable, and accessible care to our West Pilbara communities.
 
We’re incredibly grateful for this investment in local health services and for helping us continue to reach those who need it most. 
Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting the KDCCI Business After Hours, in honour of celebrating 10 years since the establishment of the GP Super Clinic. It was a fantastic evening, bringing together a diverse group of local businesses and fostering meaningful connections across our community.
 
The GP Super Clinic was founded with a clear vision: to improve access to quality healthcare in our region. A decade on, that vision has truly come to life.
 
Today, the clinic is home not only to our allied health services and community programs but a range of healthcare providers, including Sonic as our GP provider, WA Centre for Rural Health as our education partner, along with services such as TSH, WA Cardiology , TM Ultrasound and a number of visiting specialists.
 
Multiple services working together under one roof is what makes the GP Super Clinic such a vital part of our community. We’re proud to support more than 15,000 people in our region each year.
 
Looking ahead, our focus is simple:
• Growing our services
• Supporting our community
• Ensuring people can access care when they need it
 
We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to our GP Super Clinic over the years including past and present board members and staff, funding partners and our community – we exist because of you! 💜
 
Also a BIG thank you to everyone at KDCCI, to SOAK In Dampier, Pilbara Bakehouse and North West Brewing Co. for the catering and to everyone who attended!
Check out more photos on our facebook page!
Jamie, our Program Coordinator spent a great couple of days last week in Onslow delivering some of our programs and connecting with the local community.
 
Our West Pilbara Wellbeing Program at Onslow School was a highlight, with students learning about different parts of the brain, coping strategies, and positive self-talk. The school was so welcoming, and the students were incredibly engaged, they did an awesome job!
 
We also delivered Bringing Up Great Kids in the community. While it was a small group, it was a valuable opportunity for connection and learning – a big thank you to Shire of Ashburton for hosting us, and for the delicious catering from Onslow Beach Resort!
 
Outside of the sessions, it was so nice to explore a bit of Onslow – from beach walks and ocean views to checking out some local highlights like the dog statues.
 
We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time in Onslow, enjoying the local highlights as well as connecting with the community – we look forward to delivering more programs in Onslow soon 💛

Last week our team partnered with PKKP Aboriginal Corporation to deliver a Falls Prevention Workshop during our outreach clinic in Onslow.

The workshop covered falls prevention education including safety demonstrations, guidance on safe footwear and exercise plans.

 You may have noticed a couple of new faces at your recent podiatry appointments.

Michael and Jacinta are podiatry students currently on placement with the WA Centre for Rural Health – Pilbara, and we caught up with them to hear how their experience is going so far!
 
Getting hands on with patients and applying theory in real clinical settings has helped their learning grow exponentially – far beyond what any textbook can offer. Every day brings new challenges, new conditions, and new opportunities to build skills and confidence.
 
Choosing to undertake placement in Karratha was about stepping outside the comfort zone. With friends who had moved here and never looked back, curiosity (and a desire for something completely new) made it an easy decision.
 
“Karratha has really surprised me! The people are super friendly, there’s a great community vibe, a good work-life balance, and while it’s a small town, there are plenty of nearby sights to explore.”
 
From diverse patient presentations to supportive communities, rural placements are proving to be both professionally and personally rewarding.
 
“With a larger percentage of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patients, {rural placement} really enhances your cultural understanding and connection with the country.”
 
Beyond the clinical skills, it’s the human connection that stands out most.
 
“I really enjoyed the laid-back approach to life in Karratha. Patients are very friendly and make you feel comfortable and wanted, especially when health professionals are hard to come by in remote regions like the Pilbara.”
 
We love seeing our students embrace the challenge, expand their clinical skills, and discover new places along the way. 

 

We are so excited to be welcoming a psychologist to our team and to be kicking off the year with more services for our community!
We are currently accepting clients for our waitlist – send over your referral to info@karrathahealthcare.org.au or call us on 9144 6900 to be added to the list!

 

Thank you Pannawonica and Shire of Ashburton for having us at the 2025 Wellness Expo – we loved the opportunity to share our services with you, connect with other stakeholders and have lots of conversations on foot health 👣 

Last week, our podiatrists Emma and Mackenzie attended the UWA Limb Preservation 2-Day Symposium, hosted by Dr Jamie Weaver (Podiatric Surgeon) and Dr Olufemi Oshin (Vascular Surgeon).

The seminar, proudly sponsored by KCI Medical Ltd, included a hands-on cadaver workshop where participants gained practical experience in various amputation techniques, suturing methods, and prophylactic surgical procedures.

Beyond the technical training, the symposium provided an excellent networking opportunity for our team to connect with fellow podiatrists, surgeons, and specialists from diverse fields.

We are incredibly grateful to Rural Health West for providing funding to support this valuable professional development opportunity, enabling our podiatrists to continue expanding their skills and knowledge in advanced limb preservation care.

Children and young people are safer when they are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously – that’s why we are implementing the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations as part of our ongoing responsibility to keep children and young people safe.

We’d like to notify our clients of a new online booking policy which is effective immediately.

A $30 booking fee is now required for all private appointment bookings made online.

This fee acts as a credit toward your service on the day of your appointment.

If you need to cancel or reschedule, you may do so with at least 24 hours’ notice, and the fee will remain on your account to be applied to a future service.

Cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice may result in the forfeiture of the booking fee.

We appreciate your understanding and support as we aim to provide the best service to all clients.

It’s National Podiatry Week 👣 and what better time than to introduce our new Podiatrist Mackenzie!
Mackenzie is joining Emma in our podiatry care team and brings a wealth of knowledge following her time as a High-Risk Podiatrist in Melbourne where she specialised in diabetic wound care and limb preservation.
Mackenzie says that being able to support individuals on their journey to better health—whether that’s by facilitating wound healing, alleviating pain, or improving mobility—is incredibly rewarding.
‘It’s the combination of hands-on care, problem-solving, and patient connection that makes this field especially meaningful to me.’
After some time travelling Australia Mackenzie is enjoying a small-town change, warmer weather and exploring the Pilbara is top of her to do list!

Our General Manager Carrie and Board Director Emma attended Pilbara to Parliament last month, joining many other passionate Pilbara business representatives, to highlight the diversity and strength of services our region has to offer. It was an opportunity to engage one-on-one with key stakeholders from politics, government, industry and beyond. We’d like to thank Regional Development Australia and KDCCI for bringing this important opportunity to our doorstep.

 

“We look forward to building strong and lasting relationships with our policy makers and political leaders, ensuring the voices of our community and the needs of our region continue to be heard.” – Carrie

Read more from the RDA Pilbara chair here.

In August, our Dietitian, Yonatan was invited to attend the inaugural Men’s On Country Health and Reconnection Exchange 2025 (Men’s OCHRE) on Kariyarra Country at Yule River.

The gathering was organised by the Pilbara Aboriginal Health Alliance (PAHA) and provided an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men from across the Pilbara to come together, connect with Country, and share stories and knowledge.

As part of his work with Mawankarra Health Service, Yonatan was invited to attend and share his knowledge on Diabetes. Yonatan was grateful for the opportunity to connect with the group and learn from their lived experience on how our health services can support the community better. We hope to continue to support the PAHA in bringing men together to lead, heal and strengthen their communities. 

Last month, our General Manager, Carrie and Clinical and Services Manager Megan attended the Aboriginal Health Conference 2025 which provided comprehensive insights into crucial aspects of Aboriginal health including building trust and collaborating with community, chronic disease prevention/management and healing and wellbeing through storytelling.

“This was my first time attending the Aboriginal Health Conference 2025, and I will definitely be returning in the future. The sharing of knowledge, cultural perspectives, and the opportunities to connect were outstanding. The most difficult part was choosing between sessions, as each offered highly relevant and important insights that will benefit both my professional practice and our community.” – Carrie

The conference was delivered by Rural Health West in partnership with WA Country Health Service. 

 

Our outreach clinics are always a great opportunity to bring our services to our West Pilbara communities and connect with local health services.
 
This trip included a mental health workshop from our provisionally registered psychologist Tom, at Ashburton Aboriginal Corp in Tom Price.
 
Thank you, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Wakathuni and Bellary Springs communities – We’ll see you again in November 😊
Our Program Facilitator, Jamie and Provisional Psychologist, Ash attended the R U OK? DAY event at Karratha City Plaza, it was a fantastic opportunity to connect, listen, and join as a health care providers supporting our community.
Pilbara Rural Health Ball for Telethon ✨ our team coming together for a special evening honouring our local healthcare community and raising funds for telethon!
 
Thank you to Pharmacy 777 Karratha for putting on such a memorable night!
A new face here is Tom, a provisional psychologist on placement with WA Centre for Rural Health – Pilbara as part of our Provisional Psychology Clinic.
Tom is passionate about bringing together the science of evidence-based practice with the art of being genuine, curious, and building meaningful human connections through a client-centred approach.
Through working and volunteering, he’s seen the powerful impact support can have on people’s lives.
Tom is loving the diversity of working with our team and the exposure to rural communities and their specific challenges. Through personal development, running programs, going on outreach trips and supporting individuals living in our community, he is grateful for the invaluable experience he would not have had without this placement.
Karratha was the perfect spot for Tom, as an avid spearfisherman and love for the outdoors, he is making the most of exploring our wonderful Pilbara backyard while he is here.
The Provisional Psychology Clinic is in collaboration with WA Centre for Rural Health – Pilbara and offers affordable face to face or telehealth psychology appointments.
For more information, please give us a call on 9144 6900
On a recent Onslow Outreach Clinic our team collaborated with the Swans Districts Football Club and WA Centre for Rural Health Pilbara to run a Youth Resilience and Wellbeing Workshop – 
Bouncing Back & Keep Your Cool!
Our provisionally registered Psychologists Ash and Noni delivered an interactive workshop on building resilience and mastering our emotions to support wellbeing. It covered how to bounce back in tough situations, techniques to stay calm under pressure, practical strategies to manage anger, stress and frustration along with fun games and activities for learning resilience.
Thanks to all involved for delivering a successful workshop for our Onslow Community!
Last week our Podiatrist, Emma 👣 attended a Wound Care Workshop provided by the Pilbara Health Professional Network – delivered by Wound Management Nurse Practitioner at Royal Perth Hospital, Donna Larsen and Wound Educator, Beth Sperring.
 
The workshop was a hands-on lesson in the best practices for wound management and a great opportunity to upskill our rural health professionals!
This month we welcomed some new faces to our team, Noyonika and Ashleigh are provisional psychologists on placement with WA Centre for Rural Health – Pilbara as part of our Provisional Psychology Clinic.
 
They share the same curiosity for what makes people think, feel and behave the way we do and felt drawn to study psychology as a way to connect and help people. Noyonika says it’s about exploring the invisible threads or underlying factors that shape our everyday lives.
 
Being here on placement is a way to bridge theory with real-world practice, they can gain insight and experience whilst working with clients and other clinicians. Ashleigh has learnt the most from her placements and says it’s a privilege to be given the insight into a client’s life and work with them to move towards a future they want.
 
They are excited to create and strengthen relationships within our community and grow as psychologists in a rural setting as well as explore our beautiful landscape.
 
The Provisional Psychology Clinic is in collaboration with WA Centre for Rural Health – Pilbara and offers affordable psychology appointments as well as the UP Program, a 6-week program for adults.
 
For more information, please give us a call on 9144 6900
We are excited to welcome WA Cardiology to their new home at our GP Super Clinic – a great opportunity it is to have specialist cardiac testing here in Karratha.
They recently held a GP Education Evening for local services to learn more about the valuable services WA Cardiology is offering to support heart health across the Pilbara.
In attendance was A/Prof Chris Judkins, Interventional Cardiologist from WA Cardiology, who grew up in regional WA and has a strong passion for improving access to cardiac care in regional communities. 
More information can be found on their website: https://www.wacardiology.com.au/
Or call them on 6169 2000
We were honoured to be a finalist in the Injury Matters 2025 Injury Prevention and Safety Awards!
 
Our Roebourne Falls Prevention Project was selected as a finalist for Outstanding Achievement in Injury Prevention or Recovery within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
 
Funded by the Stay on Your Feet grant and delivered at Yaandina Community Care, our custom project focused on a wholistic approach to falls prevention through nutrition, physiotherapy and podiatry care.

2025 KDCCI Career Expo!

We were thrilled to be part of the 2025 Career Expo, proudly delivered by KDCCI in partnership with EPIC, Jobs and Skills WA, and Volunteering WA.

Our team enjoyed being part of the displays to chat about health careers with students from Newman, Pannawonica, Roebourne, Karratha Senior High School, and St Luke’s College.

We loved the opportunity to offer students a glimpse into what a Dietitan, Physiotherapist and Podiatrist do on a daily basis. We hope we inspired some future clinicians!

Mental Health Awareness Week!

This Mental Health Awareness Week is all about celebrating community, and how it supports our mental health and wellbeing. Communities connect, support, and give us a sense of belonging and purpose.
We are proud to connect with our community through parenting programs and psychology clinics for individuals and families who may need more support.
If you are struggling today or any day, make sure to lean on your community – this could be a family member, friend, sporting group or organisation. We all need community.
We asked our team about the ways they connect with our community here in Karratha and we hope this inspires you to find new ways to connect with others and create a sense of belonging and purpose.

Could you be an AOD Educator?

As part of our Local Drug Action Team (LDAT) program – we are seeking Alcohol & Other Drugs Educators!
LDAT is a program run by us and supported by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation which helps reduce harms from alcohol and other drugs in our community.
If you are interested in registering or have questions, call or text Hayley on 0438 333 141

Outreach 2025

At Karratha Central Healthcare, we are constantly working towards meeting health equality for all people in the Pilbara.

We collaboratively deliver programs and outreach services to address social determinants of health, and support people to manage their health issues closer to their home and community.

Our outreach program has grown considerably over the last few years, allowing for consistent care for those in remote Pilbara communities.

Every month we have had clinicians travel to Tom Price, Onslow, Bindi Community, Bellary Springs Community, Paraburdoo and Wakathundi Community to provide much needed support and services.

Representatives/clinicians from Mawarnkarra Health Service, Tom Price Physiotherapy, IBN Group, PKKP Aboriginal Corporation, Chevron, Nintirri Centre, Telethon Speech and Hearing and University Students on placement through WA Centre for Rural Health have joined our team on multiple trips providing their expertise, support and services to outreach clients.

Along with podiatry, dietetics, physiotherapy and diabetes education services our team of clinicians facilitate health education sessions for small groups, previous topics have included; foot care, diabetic wound prevention, stress management, nutrition, food budgeting.

Look out for us near you or contact our Aboriginal + Remote Community Health Coordinator Hayley on 0438 333 141 or hayley@karrathahealthcare.org.au

2025 Dates:

Onslow & Bindi Community

  • April 29 & 30
  • June 17 & 18
  • August 19 & 20
  • October 14 & 15
  • December 9 & 10

Tom Price, Bellary Springs, Wakathuni & Paraburdoo

  • May 12, 13 & 14
  • July 21, 22 & 23
  • September 15, 16 & 17
  • November 10, 11, 12