Stronger Together: Championing Community Connection at the 2026 Allied Health Conference
On Friday 15 and Saturday 16 May 2026, the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network hosted its 3rd Allied Health Conference at Mingara Recreation Club, Tumbi Umbi. Under the banner #StrongerTogether, the event brought together professionals, clinicians, students, practice staff and practice owners from across the Allied Health sector — all united by a shared belief: that collaboration and connection are the keys to building a stronger, more equitable health system.
The conference explored emerging trends, workforce sustainability, multidisciplinary care, and equity of access in primary healthcare. Among the voices contributing to that conversation was our own Kate Dunn, Mid Coast Community Connector, who presented on the work that is quietly but powerfully transforming how regional communities attract and retain the health professionals they need.
People First: The Community Connector Program
Kate's presentation — Stronger Together: The Community Connector Program as a Catalyst for Regional Workforce Sustainability — offered a candid and practical look at a community-led, place-based approach to addressing health and workforce shortages on the Mid Coast.
At its heart, the program recognises that recruiting a health professional is only half the challenge. The other half — and arguably the more important one — is helping them stay. Kate supports organisations and individuals through the practical and relational steps of relocating: finding housing, securing school places, supporting partner employment, and building the social and professional networks that turn a new postcode into a true home.
The numbers speak for themselves. To date, Kate has helped more than 300 professionals and over 650 people, including their families, to settle well in the Mid Coast. Her warm, person-centred approach ensures newcomers don't simply relocate — they quickly feel part of the community.
Why It Matters
Workforce shortages in regional health are not abstract policy problems. They are felt directly by communities — in longer wait times, in services that struggle to remain viable, and in the quiet toll on those already working hard to fill the gaps. The Community Connector Program addresses this not with a top-down directive, but with something far more enduring: genuine, grounded connection.
It is an approach that sits alongside the broader mission of the Primary Health Network. As a not-for-profit funded by the Commonwealth Government, the PHN works to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of primary health care across the Hunter, New England and Central Coast region — a vast area covering 130,000 square kilometres and serving 1.3 million people. Its vision is simple and powerful: healthy people and healthy communities, built on equity of access.
The Community Connector Program brings that vision to life in a deeply practical way, proving that when we invest in people and relationships, the ripple effects are felt across entire communities.
Looking Forward
The #StrongerTogether conference served as a timely reminder that the challenges facing Allied Health — and primary health care more broadly — cannot be solved in isolation. They require the very things the conference celebrated: collaboration, connection, and a willingness to learn from one another.
Kate's contribution to the conversation reinforced something the Mid Coast already knows well — that strong communities don't happen by accident. They are built, person by person, connection by connection. And when we get that right, everyone benefits.
