Francine Eades recognised in King’s Birthday Honours List for leading Indigenous COVID-19 vaccine program

Francine Eades was under no illusions about the threat COVID-19 posed to WA’s Aboriginal people when she agreed to help lead the Indigenous vaccination program at the height of the pandemic. The veteran public health care administrator said she knew the virus “could be potentially catastrophic for Aboriginal people”, citing the risk of comparatively high death rates if COVID got a hold of Indigenous populations, particularly those in remote communities. Appointed in 2021 to lead the roll-out of vaccinations to the State’s Indigenous population, Ms Eades travelled the length and breadth of WA, sitting down with community leaders and organising hundreds of targeted events, including State, pop-up and mobile clinics. The program is seen as one of the country’s most successful, with more than 82 per cent of Aboriginal people in WA receiving at least one dose of vaccine before the wave of 2022 COVID-19 outbreaks. Ms Eades, a Minang Noongar woman, has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List with the Public Service Medal, the top gong for outstanding service by public servants. “It really was an enormous privilege to step up, and then to see the response was absolutely fantastic,” Ms Eades said of her 2021 role and the success of the vaccination program. She took on the job with more than 30 years’ experience in the health sector, including 20 years as a registered nurse, and a Master of Public Health in Applied Epidemiology obtained under the supervision of now Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly. The role saw her often flying into remote communities with WA Vaccine Commander Chris Dawson, the State’s Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson and fellow Aboriginal adviser Wanita Bartholomeusz, sometimes sitting down in 40-degree-plus temperatures with local leaders to talk over their concerns. Ms Eades says communication in local languages was essential to providing accessible and appropriate vaccination opportunities and overcoming initial hesitancy among Aboriginal people. “It had been anticipated that Aboriginal populations would have high rates of COVID-19, complex disease and high death rates,” the award says. “Ms Eades’ contribution, along with that of Aboriginal leaders and community people across WA, resulted in remarkable preventive success, reduced the risks of serious disease and death, and thus saved the health system millions of dollars in intensive care costs and prevented the disease spreading widely.” Ms Eades, who says the program was also a celebration of inter-department collaboration in WA, is now East Metropolitan Health Service’s area director of Aboriginal health. EMHS has Perth’s biggest catchment area for Aboriginal people, taking in the likes of Royal Perth Hospital, Armadale Health Service and St John of God Midland Public Hospital.