‘From Here to Healthcare’ puts rural experiences of health care front and centre
From Here to Healthcare is a new grass-roots storytelling initiative shining a bright light on the reality of accessing healthcare in rural South Australia.
Founded by Alex Thomas, From Here to Healthcare draws on the lived experience of her father and retired farmer Chris Thomas, who endured heart failure, renal failure, diabetes and multiple amputations. After 30 years travelling long distances from his regional home to the critical healthcare he needed, Chris made the anguished decision to travel no more. A decision that sealed his fate, while allowing him the dignity of spending his final days at home, surrounded by the people and community he loved.
Alex’s advocacy struck a nerve with rural families across the country, reinforcing what many already know – the health system was never built with rural lives in mind.
From Here to Healthcare focuses on the stories and realities behind the statistics. The long drives. The full days lost to one appointment. The costs. The isolation. The quiet decisions families make when the road becomes too long, the support too thin, and the burden too heavy.
Why this can’t wait
With the 2026 South Australian election approaching, the timing matters. Rural health needs sustained attention, not short bursts of focus when systems fail publicly. This initiative keeps rural voices in the conversation while decisions are being made.
“I’ve had discussions with the South Australian Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Chris Picton, and I’m also engaging with decision-makers across the political spectrum to build multi-partisan support for fairer healthcare,” Alex said.
What does this actually do?
By sharing lived experiences, the initiative aims to:
• help rural people feel seen and heard
• connect city audiences with country realities
• build understanding across the city-country divide
• inform decision-makers with real human context
• spark practical conversations about change
At its core, From Here to Healthcare exists to make rural lives visible and to turn shared pain into shared gain.
What happens from here?
From Here to Healthcare will continue sharing rural stories through the election period and beyond, with the aim of keeping health access firmly on the public agenda.
What change looks like
In the short term, success looks like stronger visibility of rural health gaps, broader media coverage and early engagement from decision-makers. Longer term, it looks like sustained public attention, policy change, better funding and real improvements to healthcare access for rural Australians.
Greater SA is a proud supporter of From Here to Healthcare and will be sharing these stories over the coming months. As a regional media outlet run by country people, amplifying voices often left out of the conversation sits at the heart of what Greater SA does.
“Our goal is simple,” Alex said. “We want rural patients to be seen and heard. Your postcode should not determine your standard of care.”
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