TM5550 - Rural and Remote Environmental Health

Credit points:	03
Year:	2007
Student Contribution Band:	Band 2
Administered by:	Discipline of Public Health & Tropical Medicine

A multidisciplinary community-based subject that will equip health professionals to influence, plan and manage changes at the community level that will contribute to reducing the incidence and impact of environmental health risks in rural, remote and Indigenous communities. Social and environmental injustice pervades rural and remote Australia with devastating effects leading to a vast disparity in the disease burden as compared to urban areas. This subject provides information on existing environmental risk factors and develops skills, knowledge and competency in the areas of management and planning which will provide the confidence required to undertake leadership roles in this area. Areas to be examined are health issues relating to rural, remote and Indigenous settings, use of appropriate settlement design to achieve definite health improvements and issues related to rural industry and emergency situations.

Learning Outcomes

• to build up a coherent and disciplined body of communication, literacy and numeracy skills, knowledge, values and professional ethics and to expand problem solving capacity by defining and solving problems relating to the planning and development of remote aboriginal settlements;
• to learn about environmental issues relating to health in the mining industry and public health engineering requirements relating to rural, remote and Indigenous communities in normal and emergency situations;
• to learn what steps are being taken and what resources are available and to understand the interactions between individuals and communities, various interfaces (physical and cultural landscapes) and project outcomes and settlement plans;
• to understand the extent of health problems related to rural and remote environmental conditions and to develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the claims, evidence and arguments relating to social justice.

Availabilities
External, Study Period 1
Census Date 30-Mar-2007
Coord/Lect:	Dr Deon Canyon.
Method of Delivery:	Printed materials
Assessment:	end of semester exam (30%); assignments (70%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.