North West Hospital and Health Service

30/10/2026

Goblin up sweet treats this Halloween? 👻🍬

No judgment here, just dont let the sugar come back to haunt your teeth. 🦷🎃

💧 Drink water after sweet treats to help wash away residual sugars and acids.
🪥 And don’t forget to brush your teeth twice a day

Happy Halloween! 🎃

29/10/2026

In case you missed it… Cloncurry Aged Care officially has the Best Decorative Garden Feature in town! 🧑‍🌾🏆

The team took out the title in Cloncurry Shire Council’s Stuart McIntosh Memorial Garden Competition, and we reckon it’s pretty well deserved. 🌷

Here are a few of our favourite spots around the garden 💚

Check out the full Seniors Morning Tea story here 👉 https://buff.ly/r7Slxls

28/10/2026

🌈 Only 2 sleeps away! 🎉

Round out Mental Health Month with a walk, run or dance through bursts of colour.🎉 This free community event is a great away to start the weekend!

👉 Register now to secure your spot: https://buff.ly/I2YtkDZ

Come along with your friends and family – let’s celebrate Mental Health Month together in a burst of colour! 💜

🌈 Get ready to get colourful! 🎉

The team from Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs Service are excited to invite you to the Colour Fun Run for Mental Health Month! This is a FREE community event celebrating fun, connection, and wellbeing.

Walk, run, or dance your way through bursts of bright colour while enjoying music, laughter and community spirit. Fun for all ages and abilities.

📅 Date: Friday 30th October
⌚ 5:30pm
📍 Location: Mount Isa Central State School, 49 Miles Street, entry via Mary Street gate
💲 Cost: FREE

✨ Don’t forget to bring your glasses or goggles, wear something white that you don’t mind getting messy, the colour loves to stay around!

🍿 We will have free snow cones, and bathroom facilities will be on site.

👉 Register now to secure your spot: https://buff.ly/I2YtkDZ

Come along with your friends and family – let’s celebrate Mental Health Month together in a burst of colour! 💜

27/10/2026

Shoutout to our Hearing and Vision Team 👏 This Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker-led team has certainly had a big year!

Each year, the team completes two hearing screens for children from Prep to Year 4. So far this year, the team has screened an impressive 874 children! 🤯

Led by Team Leader Moyita, alongside Rhett, Advanced Health Worker, the team covers a huge area across the North West. With the number of schools involved and the sheer size of the district, Rhonda, Aboriginal Health Worker, and Martina, Trainee Health Worker, have also been lending a hand to support the delivery of the program.

Together, the team delivers the Hearing and Vision Screening Program across 15 primary schools throughout the North West, including Doomadgee, Mornington Island, Dajarra, Burketown and Camooweal. ✈️

With hearing screening well underway, the team is now preparing to commence a third screening, this time for vision, for children in Years 1 to 4. 👀

Coordinating and delivering a program of this size across Mount Isa and our remote communities is a significant undertaking!

Well done, team, it's now time to swap all those ears for eyes! 👂👀

27/10/2026

🧡Happy Occupational Therapist Day! 🧡

Today, we’re celebrating the amazing occupational therapists across the North West who make such a positive difference in people’s lives.

Whether they’re helping someone regain independence, build confidence, return to daily activities, or navigate life’s challenges, our occupational therapists bring enthusiasm and optimism to every ward.

Thank you to all of our OTs for the kind hearted, and thoughtful support you provide to individuals, families and our community.

Know an OT that deserves a shout out? Tell us why in the comments! 👇

21/10/2026

Staff Spotlight🌟Angel🌟

Moving to Mount Isa for her new role as the Nurse Unit Manager of Acute Care Services (ACS) in the MHAOD, Angel is really settling in!
“One of the things I really appreciate about our MHAOD Service is the positive and supportive work culture. We look out for each other and work through challenges together.”
Having completed Master of Mental Health Nursing and Master of Clinical Medicine in Leadership and Management, Angel was excited for the new challenge of moving and taking on this role.
“Every person has a different story, and understanding the person beyond their circumstances is something I value.”
As a leader in our Mental Health team, Angel focuses on improving ACS through setting up standardised processes, staff education and clinical supervision and oversees workforce planning, rostering and operational support across ACS, GP Liaison, Court Liaison, Consultation Liaison and Outreach teams. “I believe leadership is about looking after the people who look after our consumers.”

With the focus on Mental Health this month, Angel is excited for the opportunity to get people talking about mental health and reduce some of the stigma around it. “Mental health affects everyone, whether it's personally or through someone we know.”

“Having lived in Alice Springs before moving to Mount Isa, I already knew the outback lifestyle suited me. I love the people, the sense of community and how easy it is to feel at home. Working in rural and remote health has its challenges, but I think that's also what makes it interesting.”

Moving to the Isa, Angel is loving her new job, team and the community she has found. Outside of work, Angel enjoys tennis, gym, yoga, good coffee, while occasionally attempting to sit still long enough to finish a book!

19/10/2026

Frankie may have put a SLIGHT dent in our colouring supplies during her stay with us… so she came back to restock 😂

Frankie and her sister Finley popped into the Children’s Ward with some fun packs for the kids staying with us.

Frankie spent a little while on the ward and got plenty of use out of our colouring supplies while she was here, so the family thought it would be nice to replenish the stash for the next kids who need them. 🖍️

A very cute delivery from two very cute helpers. Thanks Frankie and Finley! 🥰

18/10/2026

🌈 Get ready to get colourful! 🎉

The team from Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs Service are excited to invite you to the Colour Fun Run for Mental Health Month! This is a FREE community event celebrating fun, connection, and wellbeing.

Walk, run, or dance your way through bursts of bright colour while enjoying music, laughter and community spirit. Fun for all ages and abilities.

📅 Date: Friday 30th October
⌚ 5:30pm
📍 Location: Mount Isa Central State School, 49 Miles Street, entry via Mary Street gate
💲 Cost: FREE

✨ Don’t forget to bring your glasses or goggles, wear something white that you don’t mind getting messy, the colour loves to stay around!

🍿 We will have free snow cones, and bathroom facilities will be on site.

👉 Register now to secure your spot: https://buff.ly/I2YtkDZ

Come along with your friends and family – let’s celebrate Mental Health Month together in a burst of colour! 💜

15/10/2026

👀 Oh, she’s getting CLOSE.

First the dialysis machines arrived. Now the Normanton Dialysis Unit is starting to look very much like the real deal. 👏

We're not quite ready for the grand reveal yet... but we're getting closer. 🎥✨

Soon, more of our Gulf patients will be able to access dialysis care closer to home, and that’s something worth getting excited about. 💙

Watch this space, Normanton. We’re nearly there. 👀

15/10/2026

🐍 Snake season is here!

Okay, technically in the North West, snake season is more of a 12-month subscription. But as the weather warms up, it’s a timely reminder to keep your eyes peeled.

And snakes aren’t fussy. Any age, any gender, anywhere, if you’re in their neighbourhood, it pays to be vigilant. 🐍

Which brings us to Carl.

Carl was mowing long grass when he felt something on his leg. It wasn’t until later that night that he noticed what he thought might have been a snake bite. With no major symptoms at the time, he decided to keep an eye on things and see how he felt.

The next day, Carl started feeling dizzy and sick. Thankfully, a colleague encouraged him to head to Mount Isa Hospital Emergency Department to get checked out.

And we’re very grateful Carl has let us share his story, because there’s an important lesson in it:

👉 If you even suspect you may have been bitten by a snake, don’t wait for symptoms to appear.

Snake bites aren’t always obvious fang marks. They can look like small scratches, punctures or even bruising, and serious symptoms can be delayed.

🐍 If you suspect a snake bite:
➡️ Call Triple Zero (000) immediately
➡️ Keep the person still and lying down
➡️ Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage and immobilise the limb
➡️ Do not wash the bite, cut it, suck it or try to catch the snake
➡️ Don’t wait to see how you feel, seek help straight away

Carl’s story had a good ending, and thanks to him for being a good sport and letting us use it as a reminder for everyone else. ⭐

When it comes to a suspected snake bite, better safe than sorry.

Stay vigilant out there, North West. 🌾🐍