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June 2022 Jun 2022
Posted June 27, 2022
Taree-based doctor and Addiction Medicine Specialist Dr Simon Holliday has been named this year's Primary Care Leader at the PHN Primary Care Quality and Innovation Awards
Dr Simon Holliday – HealthHub Taree and Harrington is recognised as an industry leader and trusted as a long serving doctor to the local community. He has a special interest in pain management, is an Addiction Medicine Specialist, Conjoint Lecturer at University of Newcastle’s School of Medicine and Public Health and has chaired the RACGP Specific Interest Group in Pain Medicine. He consults at the local area drug and alcohol clinic on a weekly basis. In addition, he works tirelessly researching, writing articles, and presenting to his peers on addiction, opiates, and pain management.
Dr Holliday and Helen Holliday have run practice over a period of 25 years locally between Lansdowne and Taree providing general practice, nursing, home health assessments, immunisations, and chronic disease management services. Not long after moving into new premises in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the traditional bricks and mortar model of general practice.
Helen and Simon’s empathy for others is a strong driver for them to provide excellence in healthcare, especially during the pandemic. Their services were extended to the wider community, and they worked with the Commonwealth Government to set up the Taree Respiratory Clinic to spearhead the COVID testing initiative and subsequent vaccine rollout for the local community.
Being at the coal face of this health care response critical deficiencies and gaps in services have been brought to light. Simon and Helen continually lobbied the Government for improved access to health care services, COVID testing, vaccinations, and critical health infrastructure for rural and regional NSW.
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