Overview: Free eBook Supports Rural Health Planning
A new, freely accessible eBook from James Cook University (JCU) distills practical lessons from the Integrating Health Care Planning for Health and Prosperity in North Queensland project. The resource aims to help communities in rural, regional, and remote North Queensland develop relevant, sustainable health services that respond to local needs. By translating research into actionable guidance, the eBook serves as a practical toolkit for health planners, providers, and community advocates working in a challenging but vital setting—the diverse health landscapes of rural Australia.
Co-Design and Place-Based Planning at Its Core
The project prioritized genuine partnerships with local community and regional stakeholders to identify and address health needs specific to each community. A central theme is participatory place-based health service planning, which emphasizes tailoring solutions to the unique social, cultural, and geographic realities of rural areas. The eBook offers clear, evidence-based guidelines that practitioners can apply in North Queensland and other remote contexts, with examples drawn from real-world practice.
What the eBook Offers
Developed as an output of collaborative work, the eBook provides practical information and guidance on how to engage communities, collect local insights, and translate them into sustainable health service changes. It includes:
- Co-design methods that bring together community members, health professionals, and local leaders.
- Illustrations and case studies from North Queensland communities to demonstrate what works in practice.
- Actionable steps for planning, implementing, and evaluating health service changes in rural settings.
- Emphasis on the role of a Local Connector—an individual or role that links community voices with planners and providers to guide the work.
Professor Sarah Larkins, JCU Dean of the College of Medicine and Dentistry and the project’s principal investigator, underscored the book’s accessible approach. “The guidelines in the eBook are easily understandable, practical and help directly target health service issues people in north and regional Queensland face,” she said. The resource is designed to support not only health services and providers contemplating changes but also community members and advocates seeking to influence local health outcomes.
Co-Design, Local Insight, and Mutual Learning
Co-authors and project participants emphasize that the most valuable insights come from those living and working in rural communities. Dr Deb Smith, JCU Senior Project Manager and Researcher, highlighted the two-way learning that emerges when local people advise, facilitate, implement, and evaluate health planning efforts. “Members of local communities are best placed to understand the needs and practicalities of what will work in their context,” she noted. The eBook thus foregrounds local knowledge as a critical driver of sustainable health service design.
Impact on Health Planning and Relationships
Participants reported that engaging in the project increased knowledge about their communities and regions, contributed to health planning efforts, and strengthened local and regional relationships. The eBook’s participatory approach seeks to build durable networks among community members, health services, and policymakers—a key factor in achieving improvements in rural health outcomes over time.
Dissemination and Availability
The eBook is publicly available online via the JCU Library’s open eBook catalogue, ensuring broad access for communities, researchers, and practitioners beyond North Queensland. By providing a practical, evidence-based resource, JCU hopes to empower a wider range of rural health stakeholders to apply place-based planning principles in their own regions.
Funding and Partnerships
The project received funding from the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) as part of the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Program. In-kind contributions from partners, along with support from Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre (TAAHC), contributed to the project’s success and its open-access eBook output.
Upcoming Engagements
A presentation about the project is scheduled at the National Rural Health Alliance’s 10th Rural and Remote Health Scientific Symposium in Alice Springs on October 8-9, offering an opportunity to share lessons with a national audience and explore how place-based planning can be scaled to other rural regions.
