The Mackay Connecting Health Care in Communities (CHIC) Primary Health Care Partnership (PHCP) has been formed as a result of the successful collaboration between a broad range of health care providers from the private and public sectors and other NGOs that has been nurtured through the Capacity for Local Partnership Initiative (CLPI).

The membership of the Mackay CHIC PHCP includes Queensland Health, Mackay Division of General Practice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS), Blue Care, Oz Care, RSL Care, Mackay Community Health Council, Consumer Representatives and CQ University.

The CHIC initiative, funded by Queensland Health is aimed at enhancing service coordination and delivery through:

• shared planning and service delivery;
• shared assessment tools;
• common management protocols;
• agreed roles in patient support and education; and
• local community health promotion action.

The Mackay CHIC PHCP has one major project that it is currently working on: the Podiatry, Insulin Initiation and Kidney (PIK) project.

While the Mackay CHIC PHCP is involved in the PIK project the aim of the partnership is to improve collaboration and networking between primary health care providers and the PHCP is keen to look any other opportunities in primary health care which would benefit from collaboration.

Contact Mandy Lavarack, CHIC Coordinator on 4953 4491 for more information.