Fortescue grant supports healthy hearing in the Pilbara

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (Fortescue) is supporting the Earbus Foundation of Western Australia to improve health outcomes for hundreds of Aboriginal children in the Pilbara.

Through the latest round of Fortescue Community Support grants program, Earbus has been awarded a $3800 grant for the purchase of a video otoscope. An additional $30,000 in Qantas flights has also been provided by Fortescue to help facilitate visits by specialists to the Pilbara.

Earbus spends one week per month in Pilbara communities, providing comprehensive ear screening to Aboriginal children. Working in partnership with Wirraka Maya Aboriginal Medical Service and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the Foundation has developed a model of continuous care.

Earbus Chief Executive Officer Paul Higginbotham said the new equipment would allow medical staff to take high resolution colour images of the ear drum and ear canal to diagnose potential diseases.

“Kids love the device because for the first time they can see inside their own ears. It is an important tool to engage and educate children and makes ear disease real and understandable,” he said.

Fortescue Port and Rail General Manager Fernando Pereira said the Community Support grants program was just one of the ways Fortescue was investing in local communities.

“We are committed to ensuring the communities in which we operate benefit from Fortescue’s growth and development,” he said.

“By supporting the important work that Earbus is undertaking in the Pilbara, we are helping to provide positive health outcomes for Aboriginal communities.”

The next round of the grants programs opens for applications on 1 September 2017. For more information, visit http://www.fmgl.com.au

Background

Fortescue’s Community Support grants program supports a variety of community initiatives which a focus on education and training, Aboriginal engagement, health and wellness, community safety and involvement, economic development and environmental responsibility.