Royal Far West (RFW) and Charles Sturt University (CSU) have received $19.7 million in the federal budget to support a National Paediatric Telecare Service.
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The Land and Australian Community Media were key advocates of the RFW's work and supported their efforts though town hall meetings starting in Gunnedah from November 2017.
In 2014, RFW's pilot program, Project Catalyst, tested the concept of transforming face-to-face delivery of specialist services in allied health via technology, enabling them to reach remote communities and small schools that were often forgotten.
The pilot found rural children missed out on vital health services, leading to issues such as speech difficulties, conduct disorders and mental health conditions.
But with early intervention via telehealth for children aged 3-12 helped prevent or mitigate the health issues.
RFW chief executive officer Lindsay Cane thanked The Land for giving a voice to the important issue and allowing RFW to listen to thousands of people through the town hall visits.
"The Land has helped us get deeply into rural communities so everyone in Australia can benefit," she said.
"These funds will enable us to go deeper and deeper into remote communities and small schools across the country to deliver specialists services to schools as little as eight students that probably have two or three students, on statistics, who will develop mental health issues.
"But because of where they live they just can't possibly imagine getting top quality specialists service.
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"It's about equity and justice and fairness to country kids."
Ms Cane said the funding commitment was government recognition of country kids and their needs.
"This is a really fine example of what happens when a government and NGO (non-governmental organisation) put both their expertise together, we can solve a problem," she said.
RFW and CSU partnered to develop Project Catalyst in 2017, a partnership to assess the feasibility of developing a National Paediatric Telecare Service.
RFW's Telecare service last year supported more than 100 primary schools and delivered 629,000 clinical service hours.
Project Catalyst has provided the plan to scale the Telecare service nationally.
CSU vice-chancellor professor Andrew Vann said the funding go a long way to improving the health of Australian children.
"A health service like this provides specialist, quality treatment for children who live in remote locations and often in difficult circumstances," he said.
