Motherland founder and CEO Stephanie Trethewey said her goal was to help reduce isolation for rural mothers. Photo: Motherland.
When you’re a woman who spends months on the road, driving cattle across the South Western Slopes of NSW and the Riverina, regular health checks often come a poor second to virtually everything else.
Out in the middle of nowhere, when you don’t know what the next day will bring, let alone how you’ll make a healthcare appointment a month away, women like Kirsty Cordon just wear it.
“Health care is a major challenge for us nomads,” Kirsty said. “Routine health care such as mammograms, pap smears and skin checks often get blown out of the recommended time to test and check.”
With many doctors in remote and regional areas unable to take on more patients, women like Kirsty and her family often can’t access basic medical care.
“If something medical is needed, I walk into an emergency,” Kirsty said.
“As a mother, I am pretty much completely isolated, with no family nearby, no regular playgroups … In the meantime, life goes on with school, dogs, horses, cattle and humans all needing something from me and it’s easy to put yourself low on the long list, and the logistics and energy levels to navigate a medical system in disarray all too easily slip into the too-hard basket until I can come up for air.”
For Stephanie Trethewey, the founder and CEO of Motherland, that’s just not good enough.
She started the charity in 2019 after discovering how isolated it could feel as “a new rural mum” and how it does take a village to raise a child. But what happens when you don’t have a village where you live?
So Stephanie created Australia’s first online rural mothers’ group, Motherland, describing it as a game-changer for women across the country who crave connection.
She said a recent survey by Motherland indicated that more than 70 per cent of rural mums said they had put off seeking health care because they could not access the services they needed.
“Motherland’s mission is to reduce isolation for rural mothers and improve mental health outcomes,” Stephanie said.
“The fact that 30 per cent told us they don’t have access to mental health services in their nearest town shows the dire need for the Motherland Connect platform.”
Stephanie said mothers were the backbone of rural communities and “we will continue to advocate for them and offer support to them and their families in any way we can”.
The new Motherhood Connect program links women to services they need to support their mental and physical health, and that of their family – with a click of a button. Women can search by their location or postcode and be connected to physical services or telehealth support across a range of categories.
Motherland Connect is supported by nbn, its major partner, with the project winning the 2023 Innovate with nbn Grants Program Women in Regional Business Award.
“At nbn, our purpose is to lift the digital capability of Australia,” spokesperson Sam Dimarco said.
“We do this through connecting people to the things that are important to them. That is why we are excited to partner with Motherland Connect and support the incredible work it is doing.”
Motherland is calling on more NSW businesses to list their services on their website.
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