Drought, fire, flood, COVID-19 - 2020 has been a tough year for many parts of Australia, but the Shoalhaven has been one of the most consistently struck by misfortune.
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Now, it is hoped that a study of how local health services and their clients responded will light the way for better support to other communities who suffer multiple disasters.
The project, "Narratives of Recovery - Practices supporting community mental health and wellbeing post bush fires and COVID 19",has won $426,000 in funding from the Australian Government's Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
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Researchers will investigate approaches adopted by Waminda and the Milton Ulladulla Hospital to support mental well-being, healing and recovery for their drought and bushfire affected communities when COVID-19 restrictions came into force.
Project leader Associate-Professor Lynne Keevers from UOW's School of Health and Society said the results of the study would inform future health-system responses to COVID-19 and other disasters.
She said the focus of the research was on resilience, rather than suffering.
"We want to identify through peoples experiences what practices they found most helpful in mitigating the cumulative effects of disasters," she said.
"We've deliberately skewed our research questions to the positive and the hopeful so we can assist in future by providing information about what local people experience as enhancing recovery.
"Of course the dark side will come up but the research is specifically targeting what has worked to support people's holistic wellbeing.
"We hope by doing that other rural and regional areas will be able to adapt the practices that we find effective."
Waminda and the Milton Ulladulla Hospital were two services providing front-line support to those affected by the disasters.
Professor Keevers said that meant the organisations had to react quickly, rather than waiting for support from external organisations or government.
"You can get a lot of local knowledge by looking at how people on the frontline respond quickly," Professor Keevers said.
"The local responses people put together in an emergency can teach us a lot about what works."
