Cover Story Theresa Simpson The nurturing forward-thinker, guiding Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan towards new growth

THERESA SIMPSON

The nurturing forward-thinker Guiding Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan towards new growth.

Cultivating Mookai Rosie from humble beginnings to clinical service delivery, Theresa Simpson takes a proactive and hands-on approach in providing the best service possible for community as CEO. Theresa’s passion and drive has given her Board much to admire as she rolls up her sleeves to guide the organisation’s expansion of their Model of Care.

With proud family connections to the Kalkadoon and Wakka Wakka people, Theresa was born in Mt Isa and grew up in Cairns with her grandmother, Bonnie Simpson. Bonnie was a strong and compassionate grandmother who immersed Theresa in positive cultural family values that has shaped the nurturing leader she is today.

Bonnie and Esme Hudson were the original house mothers who helped establish Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan nearly four decades ago, alongside founder Aunty Rose Richards—Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan translates to Aunty Rosie’s Place or Home. Theresa strives to uphold Aunty Rose’s strong vision and commitment to provide our people with a health-focused service which is viewed as a ‘home-awayfrom-home’.

For more than 35 years the organisation has provided a healthy and caring environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children attending medical treatment in Cairns. Mookai Rosie provides culturally appropriate care and accommodation services for women while they are bonding with their new baby or recovering from medical treatment.

With most of her family already in the health sector, it was natural for Theresa to step into an assistant in nursing role after graduating high school, with Hetti Perkins Nursing Home in the Northern Territory. However, with a desire to expand her skillset and experience, Theresa took a government sector job in Canberra, where she developed her finance and business acumen.

Leveraging those skills, Theresa came home to Cairns and took up positions in the private sector before moving to Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan in 2000.

Theresa has been with Mookai Rosie since, and her growth within the organisation is reflective of the growth that she is facilitating now at the helm. Starting in administration, Theresa transitioned into a finance role, onto management and then became CEO over her 21-year tenure.

I think I’m a true representation of what community control is. It’s about supporting our staff members, developing their potential, and putting that investment back into them.

Mookai Rosie’s Board gave Theresa the support, guidance, training and mentorship that she needed to take up the mantle of CEO. Mookai Rosie’s commitment to succession and development has been rewarded through their considerable organisational growth and service capacity.

Theresa’s nature, care for community, passion and involvement in her role has also been integral to Mookai Rosie’s expansion over the years. She is innovative in her approach to leadership, forward thinking and selfless when it comes to driving the organisation into the future. Theresa believes in interacting with mob to learn what they need to provide the right level of service, when and however needed. If Theresa sees something that needs to be done, she won’t hesitate to assist. Humble despite her position, Theresa grasps every opportunity to better her community. I’m not in it for admiration or praise. I want to see improvements. I genuinely want to see how we can provide the best level of support with what we do here at Mookai Rosie.

Despite her supportive Board, management team and staff behind her, recognition and funding remain a real challenge for the organisation; irrespective of the vital service that Mookai Rosie delivers.

“It’s been a struggle to build the recognition from a service delivery

context. We’re a primary healthcare facility delivering an array of services to each of our clients, yet we still receive historical funding despite the exponential growth we’ve experienced and level of service we deliver.”

Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan is not a nine to five service, it operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week providing a healthy, caring and unique environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.

“I’m working hard to achieve the recognition for the work that we do, and to receive funding proportionate to the level of service we deliver. There is so much more growth potential for Mookai Rosie and I’m always looking at where we’re heading and searching for new opportunity to better our mob.”

Theresa is determined to build on and evolve the legacy left by the women who built Mookai Rosie before her. A legacy which encompasses both a professional evidence-based health care and accommodation service, combined with strong and respectful cultural governance.

Theresa’s goals over the next few years are to accomplish funding reviews to address gaps in funding to enable innovative service extensions, growing their clinical service delivery. She is also passionate about enhancing the health status and social outcomes of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients who rely on the organisation.

Integrating health education into their service delivery, the organisation provides a more holistic model of care which improves the overall health of Mookai Rosie’s clients, and bolsters the health of their respective communities and regions.

“I’m a strong advocate for health education and building one’s health literacy to really try and address those gaps as they present. Integrated health is really needed for mob who might not understand what their health situation is, or why it’s so important.”

As Mookai Rosie continues to grow, part of what Theresa wants to achieve is a more complex health service delivery model; their capacity to do so needs to be scaffolded with elements of support and funding which is culturally and proportionally appropriate.

To tie in with its growth, Mookai Rosie has also become a Full Member of QAIHC.

It’s great that QAIHC has recognised the growth of Mookai Rosie, and we hope that this will open the door to allow more conversations, greater networking opportunities and ongoing support for what we do. To be fully supported by QAIHC for what we do is about our status being recognised.

Mookai Rosie aims to fill gaps, work in with HHSs, and integrate resources to provide a better model of health for the region and clients – strengthening their partnerships in doing so.

When asked about the legacy that she would like to leave behind from her time as CEO, Theresa focused on the foundations and innovation that she is sowing across the organisation.

“Forming those strong network relationships and really concreting what we are trying to establish. I’d love for Mookai Rosie to be seen as an extension of the hospital; a culturally safe hospital in a home environment.”

Theresa’s accomplishments as CEO are credit to the original house mothers of Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan and testament to the Board’s wisdom and confidence in the implementation of ongoing professional development and succession planning.

With Theresa pursuing sustained growth, funding and recognition, Mookai Rosie Bi-Bayan will continue its long foundation of success in bridging the gap for women and children throughout the Far North region.