12 August 2024

Maria has been a part of our Community Advisory Committee (CAC) as a Consumer Partner since 2022.

Maria did not know about the CAC prior to seeing a post on social media. The post piqued her interest and Maria sent in her expression of interest.

Maria’s connection with Austin Health predates her joining the committee. Her first visit to Austin Health was in 1986 when she was diagnosed with a chronic auto-immune disease. Maria shares jokingly, “the disease has impacted my whole life and led to me acquiring many ‘Austin Frequent Flyer points’, otherwise known as admissions.”

“I have certainly tested the medical and nursing staff at times but together we have always triumphed in the end,” she adds.

Maria is currently very well. The care she has always received at Austin Health motivated her to join the committee and to, “give back to the hospital and staff that have cared for me so well and saved my life on more than one occasion.”

Our CAC is an advisory to the Austin Health Board. Consumer participation is key to helping us deliver patient-centric care and the committee is one way we include our consumers in important decision-making processes.

When asked what she thinks of the CAC, Maria notes, “I see immense value in cooperation and communication between stakeholders in many contexts in life and this is so very important in the delivery of quality, patient-centred health care.”

Aside from coming together for meetings, all our consumer partners have the opportunity to lend their experience and voice to specific project working groups.

Maria’s son, Jacob, was born extremely prematurely and his first year of life was a battle to survive. For Maria, this meant experiencing the inner workings of hospitals very closely as they cared for Jacob. Today Jacob lives with profound deafness and a mild-moderate intellectual disability; but he is healthy and has a joy and zest for life beyond compare.

“Jacob has given me not just the perspective of a mum but also that of a carer and disability advocate. Through his deafness, I feel that I have a far more informed view about the challenges and obstacles that Deaf people can face when their unique needs are not met.”

Maria is currently involved in a few working groups. “I bring these lived experiences to my Consumer Partner role on the CAC and to the working groups I have joined. I am grateful to have the opportunity on this committee to draw on all my life experiences, perspectives and values; and to be part of discussions that have the clear aim of improving patient care,” shares Maria.

Our Community Advisory Committee is currently looking for passionate community members to join us and help make a difference. Whether you are a patient, caregiver, or simply someone interested in improving healthcare, your voice is important.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, members of the LGBTIQ+ community, individuals with lived experience of mental health services, and individuals with lived experience of disability. 

Submit your expression of interest to join the CAC and become part of a team dedicated to making a positive impact in the healthcare community today: https://www.austin.org.au/cac/.