Joanna Woodburn

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Joanna Woodburn

When a "code black" is declared at a New South Wales hospital it means staff safety is at threat. For clinicians it also signals their hospital is at capacity. Senior doctors at Orange in the state's central west say this declaration is being made at the city's public hospital, Orange Health Service, too often. Director of surgery Rob Knox said recently the hospital had spent half a month in the most "critical state of bed block". "[That's] where we've used up all surge capacity.

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Joanna Woodburn

Inside one of NSW's largest regional hospitals doctors allege there are patient care breaches that contravene NSW health policy. Those alleged breaches include downgrading the urgency of cancer patients and delaying their surgery without clinical justification. Doctors say hospital management is to blame and also accuse them of not bringing on an extra breast cancer surgeon because it would create more demand.

4 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Joanna Woodburn

A regional Australian city, famous for its food and wine, is now hoping to be the world's next Silicon Valley. Orange, in central west New South Wales, is positioning itself as an innovation and agricultural technology (ag-tech) hub, with a growing smorgasbord of entrepreneurs choosing to base themselves in the district. "The running joke at the moment is that Orange is the next Palo Alto or Silicon Valley," Hamish Munro, founder of digital start-up Pairtree, told 7.30.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Xanthe Gregory |Joanna Woodburn

A four-month investigation into the discovery of "forever chemicals" in a New South Wales river has identified a composting facility as a major contamination source. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) began an extensive testing program of the Belubula River in the state's central west after PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were detected last year.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Joanna Woodburn

New South Wales Health is refusing to detail what work it is doing to improve access to abortion services at public hospitals across the state. The department is reviewing its policies governing termination of pregnancy, after its own report on the state's current abortion laws specifically recommended that ways to balance the rights of conscientiously objecting health practitioners with a woman's entitlement to receive timely care be examined.