ROLE GOES ON: ROLE goes on: McGrath breast care nurse Elizabeth King will continue working in the Wimmera. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
WIMMERA McGrath breast care nurse Elizabeth King will continue her work in the region.
McGrath Foundation chief executive Kylea Tink said 43 governmentfunded McGrath breast care nurse positions would receive funding, following an $18.5 million Federal Government commitment.
“The Wimmera community already understands the benefits of having the support of a McGrath breast care nurse,” said.
Mrs King works on behalf of the foundation at Wimmera Health Care Group.
“The funding means the breast care nurse position in the Wimmera will stay, which will benefit Wimmera women with breast cancer,” she said.
Mrs King’s role is to provide support for women with breast cancer and their families.
“It is about helping women with breast cancer understand what is happening, guiding them through the processes and just being there for them to depend on,” she said.
In 2009, the Federal Government gave the McGrath Foundation $12 million over four years to recruit, train and place McGrath breast care nurses throughout Australia.
Mrs King has been a McGrath breast care nurse since then.
“It’s a very rewarding position and it’s lovely to be able to help people within the Wimmera,” she said.
The government and McGrath Foundation are negotiating terms and timelines of the new funding arrangement.
Almost 18,000 families across Australia have been supported through their breast cancer experience by McGrath breast care nurses.
The foundation was founded by Jane McGrath and husband Glenn McGrath, a former Australian cricketer.