Wadeye 2013

We are in Wadeye for a 5 week placement. It's good to be back - it feels like coming home! I appreciate many things about this place: the bush, the birds, natural beauty. It's good to renew connections with people too. There are many familiar faces, and some remember us.
There's a cardiology clinic this coming Tuesday (tomorrow), and I was again given some responsibility for checking people with RHD - rheumatic heart disease, now so rare in mainstream medicine, but so devastating to people here.  RHD is one of the symbols of  "The Gap" which needs to be closed.  It's a disease resulting from many infections over a long time, and episodes of acute rheumatic fever where the heart is damaged. Patients diagnosed with this condition need to have a monthly injection of long acting penicillin, to prevent further attacks.  Some seem to understand, and have their injections monthly. Many avoid the injections, and I wonder why this is, when so much is at stake.  I wonder if "we" have failed in the process of communicating what it's all about.  On Tuesday, Felicity, the RHD support nurse, will be here from Darwin. I hope there's time to talk with her about these issues.
One of the factors is the turnover of the team - so patients often have a new nurse to get to know. There are only 2 nurses here now, who were here last year. They were also here the year before - so this is some continuity, at least.  One of them works as a midwife in antenatal care, the other is now managing the chronic disease program and networking with other agencies working here. A big job.
And the team is about to turn over again - in 2 weeks one will be back from leave (oh yes, she was here last year), but everyone else will be new.
Apart from catching up with people with RHD, I have a long list of people with chronic disease who are overdue GP checks.  So I have plenty to do!  And not enough time to do it in!  We're here for 5 weeks, which is really just a drop in the ocean.  We'd like to make a difference here, even if it's in the lives of a few people, rather than impressive results.
On another note, the swimming pool is open from 7-8am for laps.  Work starts at 8, so it's a bit of a scramble, but I've been enjoying a morning swim.