Jacinta Jones is the State Manager for Aeromedical Nursing and has worked for the Flying Doctor for more than a decade. But nothing could have prepared her for flying on the front line during the pandemic. In this episode, Jacinta shared what goes through clinical staff’s minds when they retrieve COVID positive patients, how they navigated the fear that PPE gear provoked and the integral role the RFDS played in the roll out of the COVID vaccines.

It’s certainly no secret that the toll on our mental health was one of the most significant but often hidden costs of the pandemic. If you are still feeling the impacts of a few long and hard years, you are not alone. RFDS Clinical Lead for Outback Mental Health, Dr Tim Driscoll joins us to chat about the toolkit you will need if you’re still feeling the long term affects of the pandemic.

In this episode of the Small Talk, Big Difference podcast, RFDS Clinical Lead for Outback Mental Health Dr Tim Driscoll speaks with Stephanie Donovan, a Senior Mental Health Clinician in Disaster Recovery for the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service. Across her career, Stephanie has worked in impacted communities of natural disasters, including supporting the Lockyer Valley community following the 2011 floods, Northern QLD after cyclone Yasi and the Sunshine Coast community after the 2019 bushfires. Here, she explains some common reactions to potentially traumatic experiences, and her advice to help people manage their mental wellbeing.

In the latest episode of the Small Talk, Big Difference podcast, RFDS Clinical Lead for Outback Mental Health Dr Tim Driscoll reflects on his conversation with Rockhampton SES Local Controller Eddie Cowie. Eddie experienced the impact of compounding stress when he lost his farm and livelihood in the 2019 bushfires, not long after surviving extreme droughts, and a cyclone. Faced with a long road to recovery - financially and emotionally - Eddie called upon the resources that were available to help improve his mental health. Listen to find out how a small talk made a world of difference.