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George Town RHTS

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George Town Teaching Site
George Town Teaching Site

The George Town Rural Health Teaching Site is located at 78 Anne Street and is a short walk from both the George Town Hospital and Anne Street Medical Services. It has three bedrooms, a spacious living area, and can comfortably accommodate up to 4 students. There is a large garden area with a number of fruit trees at the rear or the building. Computers with internet access are available on site.

 

About George Town

Population Characteristics

The population of the George Town area is 5,697 (2004).

George Town Local Area 2004, Line Graph

George Town is located on the eastern side of the mouth of the Tamar River, about 45 km north of Launceston. It was settled under Lieutenant Colonel William Paterson in 1804, and was the third European settlement in Australia after Sydney and Hobart.

Tamar River
Tamar River

Launceston was established in 1806 and became the administrative centre of northern Tasmania. However, Governor Lachlan Macquarie believed George Town to be a better site and ordered the northern headquarters to be moved. Despite a lack of enthusiasm, the town plans were laid out in 1816 and the town was named after George III. Macquarie’s decision was reversed by the Bigge Report of 1825 and the administration moved, once again, to Launceston.

George Town initially consisted of a military station, female factory and a few settlers. During the 1830s, it was an embarkation point for settlers leaving for the Port Phillip district and the discovery of gold nearby in the 1870s saw the population increase.

In 1948, work began on the aluminium refineries and smelter at Bell Bay and production began in 1955 under the management of the Australian Aluminium Production Commission, a joint Australian and Tasmanian Government venture. In 1961 the facility was sold to Comalco and the town grew as Comalco expanded its operations. Other developments were subsequently attracted to the town including oil terminals, a roll-on roll-off shipping terminal (1958), the Temco high carbon terro manganese plant, and two wood chip companies. Bell Bay became Launceston’s container port and the site of Launceston’s thermal power station (1971).

In 1991, the Bass Strait ferry service from George Town ended and a high speed catamaran services failed in 1996. The Iron Baron, an oil carrier, ran aground near George Town in 1996.

George Town Local Area 2004, Pie Graph

Australia’s oldest continuously used pilot station is located at Low Head, north of George Town. Several buildings at Low Head are listed on the Register of the National Estate.

Regional Health Indicators

High level of socio-economic disadvantage (904)
High unemployment rates
High proportion of people reporting fair or poor health
High death rates for males
High death rates from diseases of the circulatory system
High hospital admission ratios for people with lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema or asthma

 

 

George Town Health Services

George Town Hospital
George Town Hospital

George Town Hospital

George Town Hospital is a 15 bed acute-care facility. There is no emergency department, however a GP is on-call.

Patients are admitted under one of the six GPs from the Anne Street Medical Centre, and admissions include acute-care cases as well as the overflow from the LGH – patients recovering from operations, rehabilitation, maternity. Normally the hospital has at least two patients waiting for nursing home beds.

George Town Hospital is the base for George Town and Lilydale Community Nursing and the shopfront for Rural Health funding initiatives overseen by the George Town Community Health and Welfare Committee Inc. These include Oakrise, Pregnancy and Young Person’s Support, Diabetes Australia and the Domestic Violence Crisis Service.

Visiting specialist services include a social worker, continence advisor, wound-care clinic and asthma foundation.

Anne Street Medical Services Pty Ltd

Anne Street Medical Services Pty Ltd is a family orientated practice providing full General Practice services, including 24 hour service, home visits where appropriate, X-rays, immunisations, ante-natal care, minor operations, allergy testing, geriatric care, trauma and occupational health, women’s midlife information, and mental health advice.

Anne Street Medical Services
Anne Street Medical Services
Anne Street Medical Services
Anne Street Medical Services

Anne Street Medical Services assist the University of Tasmania with teaching of final year medical students, and at times post-graduate training of family and rural doctors.

Several specialists visit the surgery on a regular basis. They include:

  • Orthopaedic Surgeon
  • General Physician
  • Diabetes Educator
  • Podiatrist