Growing up as an Australian South Sea Islander woman in Mackay, Sharelle Johnson never dreamed she would become a nurse but always wanted to help people. After 40 years as an Enrolled Nurse (EN), Sharelle is finally hanging up her hat and retiring from her job at Mackay Base Hospital.  “In those days after school… [Read More]

It is with great sadness we received the news that Chair of the Mackay Hospital and Health Board Tim Mulherin passed away this morning. He continued his duties as the Board Chair until the end, providing leadership and strategic direction for our health service. Providing Mackay with a first-class hospital and health care was Tim’s… [Read More]

Sandiford resident Colin Johnson has been through a gruelling 12 months following his cancer diagnosis in August 2019. Months of chemotherapy and radiation to successfully treat his head, neck and throat cancer impacted the 62-year-old’s voice and swallow function. “I’ve got this horrible gravelly voice but I’m still a good-looking rooster,” Colin said. “All jokes… [Read More]

Mackay Hospital and Health Service speech pathologists are using Speech Pathology Week as an opportunity to highlight the profession and work speech pathologists do to help everyone communicate with confidence. More than one million Australians have a communication disability that affects a person’s ability to understand and be understood by others. Mackay Base Hospital speech… [Read More]

A transplant recipient is one of hundreds of Mackay HHS residents benefitting from an innovation in telehealth. During the COVID-19 pandemic Mackay HHS launched the Telehealth Patient on Own Device (TelePOD) service reducing the number of patients leaving their home unnecessarily. On 27 February, Airlie Beach dad Darren Attwood had a kidney transplant in Brisbane,… [Read More]