What is RAC:
Recover, Adapt, Connect?
An Australian Government funded initiative to support communities and individuals who have been affected by the Black Summer Bushfires. HealthWISE, through our Recover, Adapt, Connect program aims to provide assistance to communities and individuals affected by natural disasters. The program provides access to mental health and allied health services and community education workshops for all ages to support recovery and to prepare for future disasters.
Who can access RAC?
Support is available if you:
- Fear future bushfires or feel isolated and forgotten,
- Would like information about what assistance you can access in your local area
- Are worried about future events or coping with the anniversary of bushfires,
- Are putting your physical or emotional health on hold,
- Live in an area where health services are not easily accessible for you.
Which services can I access?
RAC offers flexible service options that will vary across regions. Care Navigators are available to assist you in identifying services available in your area. Contact us if you want to learn more.
Contact us
Upcoming Events
Book packs for schools
HealthWISE is pleased to gift a selection of children’s books to early childhood centres and primary schools within the RAC footprint, through the Birdie’s Tree Early Learning Program. These books have been selected to support students to better understand the impacts of natural disasters. We recognise the need to address known impacts and barriers to recovery and we are working with communities to improve health and psychological preparedness for future events.
Being psychologically prepared means that natural reactions such as anxiety and worry can be anticipated and managed to help people remain in control and act confidently. We can assist children to develop skills to cope with unexpected events by allowing them to talk about their experiences and learn skills and attitudes to understand and manage the changes brought about by a natural disaster.
Along with this selection of books, we have included a USB flash drive loaded with some activities to accompany the book reading and some short articles that would be suitable to include in newsletters. The resources are also available below.
What is the Birdie’s Tree Early Learning Program?
Birdie’s Tree is a suite of resources to help families prepare for, cope with and recover from a natural disaster or disruptive event.
These resources have been designed to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of babies and young children, their parents and families, in relation to severe weather events and other natural disasters. The resources are helpful in the ‘preparedness’ phase (before a natural disaster happens), during the ‘response’ phase (while an event is happening) and in the ‘recovery’ phase (after an event has occurred).
Birdie’s Tree has been developed by the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (QCPIMH), Queensland’s statewide hub of expertise in the mental health and emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents, babies and young children. QCPIMH is a Queensland Government service hosted by Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service.
Sue McGuire
Team Leader
Shop 3, 160 Brisbane Rd, Booval QLD 4304
Phone: 07 3050 4438
Office: Ipswich
Work Days: M – F 9am – 5pm
Email: RAC@healthwise.org.au
93-95 Barwan Street, Narrabri NSW 2390
Ph: 02 6792 5514 Fax: 02 6792 5518
Frequently Asked Questions
No you do not require a GP/Specialist referral. You can fill out our enquiry form and one of our team will contact you.
No, RAC (Recover, Adapt, Connect) is a fully funded Government Initiative, and your appointments will be at no cost to you.
You can either fill out the enquiry form on this website, or you can contact one of our Care Navigators.
You can either fill out the enquiry form on this website, or you can contact us on 02 6792 5514 or RAC@healthwise.org.au
Yes, your information will only be passed onto the service/provider that you are wanting. We do not sell/distribute client information.
If you live in an LGA that we cover (link to map), and you are not sure, please feel free to contact us via email RAC@healthwise.org.au or phone 02 6792 5514 and we will be sure to assist you.
Care Navigators are available to assist in connecting you with services available in your area. Contact us to learn more.
Work with us
If you are a current practising Health Professional or community organisation, and interested in working with HealthWISE on this program, please contact us at RAC@healthwise.org.au to discuss how we can best support your community.
This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.
