IN PICTURES: Rural health network hosts first 2026 event to connect Albany health practitioners and families

Great Southern health practitioners came together to welcome in 2026 with Rural Health West’s health professionals network on February 7, with a relaxed afternoon welcome event hosted at Barrel Farm. Local health professionals and their families were invited along to Barrel Farm for an afternoon of connection and conversation. The health professionals network is designed to help regional practitioners feel more connected to their peers and create a community, Rural Health West’s general manager of education and engagement Leesa Thomas explained. “Moving to a regional area can be incredibly rewarding but it can also be isolating,” she said. “These events help people put faces to names, build friendships and feel part of the local community, and strong local networks are essential for strong regional health care.” Dozens of practitioners from Albany and surrounding towns met fellow health professionals from the region and to caught up with old friends after a busy 2025. The welcome event near the start of each year in particular was one that could often help practitioners new to working in regional health feel more at home, she said. The larger aim of the network is to reduce professional and social isolation and in turn encourage long-term workforce retention in regional WA. Last financial year, local chapters of the network delivered 95 events in a range of cities and towns in regional WA and there are a similar number planned for this year, providing education, professional development and networking opportunities for members of the network.