By ALESHA CAPONE
ST ALBANS resident Sue Race has received a prestigious national award for a program she developed to help patients at Western Health.
Ms Race has won a National Disability Award for Excellence in Improving Health Outcomes.
The Assistant Minister for Social Services, Mitch Fifield, presented Ms Race with her award at a Parliament House ceremony.
The National Disability Award recipients have been selected from a field of 200 nominations from across the country.
Ms Race is a divisional director of Sub Acute and Aged Care Services at Western Health, which covers Sunshine Hospital, Western Hospital in Footscray and Williamstown Hospital.
As part of her job at Western Health, Ms Race has developed a hospital discharge planning process which helps patients with a disability to find a home where their health needs are supported.
This, in turn, helps the patients to avoid long-term hospital stays.
Star interviewed Ms Race earlier this year after she was first nominated for the National Disability Award.
Ms Race said her team worked with the Young People in Nursing Homes – National Alliance and helped to find homes for young people with disabilities, whose family members have died or are unable to care for them.
“It is really rewarding when it works out, and especially when they keep in touch, or we hear through the Alliance they are doing well and loving it in their new home,” Ms Race said.
Mr Fifield said Ms Race has shown “outstanding” leadership and determination in developing the hospital discharge process.
“I commend Susan for her hard work, which is achieving real change for people with disability in Victoria, and congratulate her on this well-deserved award,” he said.
