Hospital foundation chief says community support vital for Qld children’s healthcare
Accessibility to healthcare for Queensland’s regional kids is listed as a top priority, as the children’s hospital foundation releases its impact report.
Children’s Hospital Foundation has released its 2024-25 Impact Report, revealing how local business and philanthropists have helped to reshape paediatric care across Queensland.
The foundation funds cutting edge medical equipment, vital research and support for children across Queensland and northern New South Wales with CHF CEO Lyndsey Rice saying organisations either donate or raise funds by rallying the community or their workforce, which has an impact stronger than just money.
“Writing a cheque is wonderful, but if you can mobilise 5,000 people… you’re building a community that has more awareness of children and young people’s wellbeing,” Rice says.
Amongst its initiatives is the Transport to Treatment program, which aimed to remove barriers to healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children.
The Children’s Brain Cancer Centre also received donor and corporate investment, the report showing this supported the globally significant discovery of the CT-179 drug which increased survival outcomes for children with medulloblastoma.
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Report details showed the Sapphire Committee, a collective of modern philanthropists and business leaders, raised $1.6 million in under two years to accelerate new cancer therapies and clinical trials.
“We’re actually mobilising grassroots support together, and that is what we need for community wellbeing. If we have community wellbeing and more people living healthy, balanced lives, that feeds into our goal, which is a world where every child has every chance to thrive, regardless of their postcode, regardless of their health condition,” Rice said.
In response to investment increases, CHF has introduced its Impact Strategy to direct funding into four areas; Clinical Care, Research, Patient and Family Wellbeing and Care Closer to Home.
Funding for Clinical Care enabled research breakthroughs and enhanced care pathways, while Care Closer to Home improved the capacity of paediatric healthcare in regional hospitals.
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Patient and Family Support measures wellbeing and social impacts, and Research allowed for CHF to continue investing in equipment and research necessary for children’s healthcare.
CHF has also implemented a Social Impact Framework to monitor the effectiveness of the funding and to target areas of the greatest need.
“We’ve developed an impact strategy with very clear guidelines around the areas we want to fund, and we also have a social impact framework, which works with the beneficiaries, the children and families who are on the receiving end of our investments,” Rice said.
Rice said that accessibility was an important initiative in children’s healthcare across Queensland as a third of child patients were travelling from regional and rural Queensland.
“Access and equity is a big priority for us and it’s going to continue to be a priority for us over the next five years, which is why we have our closer to home priority,” she said.
For CHF, the intersection of business and philanthropy in the healthcare sector makes a significant impact beyond just dollars raised.
“The power of that intersection between philanthropy and business is an incredibly important part of our strategy and it’s one we’re immensely grateful for. Everyone should be given every opportunity to live their best possible life in the healthiest way possible.”
Through partnerships with Queensland businesses, CHF has been able to deliver world-first medical breakthroughs and make rural healthcare more accessible across the state, the report said.
Investments from organisations including Commbank Foundation, Hyundai Help for Kids, MADD loans, Woolworths, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Trust and Children’s Health Queensland have helped to invigorate paediatric care through initiatives.
