Royal Flying Doctor Queensland (Section) Podcast Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section)

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.

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.

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.

Do you know how you would handle an emergency situation, or how you would go about recovering after losing your home and livelihood? It’s a situation nobody wants to be in, but in 2019, Rockhamptom SES Local Controller Eddie Cowie had to figure out the answers to those questions - quickly. After bushfires engulfed his farm and he fought to help his community evacuate the flames, Eddie faced an unimaginable road to recovery both financially and emotionally. Here, he speaks with RFDS Clinical Lead for Outback Mental Health Dr Tim Driscoll about the steps he took, and shares how a cup of tea and conversation with a mate made the world of difference.

RFDS Outback Mental Health Manager Dr. Tim Driscoll shares the most important takeaways from his chat with Tony Wellspring about recovering from a traumatic incident. Tune in to learn the importance of support from family, friends and colleagues, why blokey blokes need to get things off their chest, and the healing effects of being listened to.