Support for members

​We provide our members with a $150 subsidy per year for any expense which promotes physical activity, and a maximum of $200 a year in a combine parking and medical expenses subsidy. For PAS, Parking and Medical Expense claims, submit the receipt as proof of purchase. For Parking claims the specific location must be evident on the receipt.

Please send us a completed subsidy claim form along with any receipts to verify your claim. These subsidies may be claimed once every calendar year.

Email the completed form to claims@cfqld.org.au by the first Wednesday in December.​

Nebulisers​

Equipment is regularly funded by grants.  Members are entitled to receive a nebuliser every three years, subject to grant funding.  Before you register your interest with services@cfqld.org.au, please speak with your clinician about product suitability.

Innospire Go Medication Chamber

We purchase our Innospire Go Nebulisers from Breathe21Healthcare.  If you need additional medication chambers please contact them for pricing.

Spirometers

Equipment is regularly funded by grants. Members are entitled to receive a spirometer grant every three years, subject to funding. Before you register your interest with services@cfqld.org.au, please speak with your clinician about product suitability.

Hospital airway clearance equipment

Cystic Fibrosis Queensland provides free respiratory equipment to people living with cystic fibrosis who are ineligible for MASS (medical aids subsidy scheme) through the cystic fibrosis hospital clinic physiotherapists. The items purchased by hospitals under this scheme have all been distributed by the physiotherapist to the cystic fibrosis community. Cystic Fibrosis Queensland has a number of airway clearance items in stock for members who are not covered by MASS, please speak to you hospital physiotherapist to obtain a referral for these items. Your physiotherapist will need to complete one of the following forms and forward it to services@cfqld.org.au.

Links to forms:

• Queensland Children’s Hospital
• Prince Charles Hospital
• Mater Hospital
• Gold Coast University Hospital

If you have any questions, pleases don’t hesitate to contact 07 3359 8000 or email services@cfqld.org.au.

Equipment loans

Eight portable oxygen concentrators are available to loan our members who require this support.  Please email services@cfqld.org.au if you need to borrow an oxygen concentrator.

Trampolines

Exercise disguised as play! We regularly receive grants to provide our young members with a trampoline for physical exercise. Please email services@cfqld.org.au if you would like to add your child’s name to the trampoline wait list. ​

Boredom Buster Bags

Weekly Boredom Buster Bags are delivered to Queensland Children’s Hospital cystic fibrosis service. Email services@cfqld.org.au to request a bag. Include your child’s age and gender. With notice, bags can be posted to other hospitals for children in rural, regional and remote areas.

Little Day Out

Our Little Day Out program is a program to encourage cystic fibrosis members to spend time with family and carers in a non-clinical environment. We regularly receive grants to provide Little Day Out’s to our members.  All members will be notified of Little Day Out opportunities.

Newly Diagnosed Support​​

Information is critical when your child is first diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and for the first 12 months of their life. Your hospital will provide you with a prepared Cystic Fibrosis Queensland information pack which also contains our membership form.

Download your copy of the Newly Diagnosed Information Book for parents or puchase one of our Newly Diagnosed Bags.

Advocacy

​Cystic Fibrosis Queensland is able to provide individual level advocacy with external organisations when a client is not able to achieve their desired outcome. Please email services@cfqld.org.au if you need assistance.

Cystic Fibrosis Queensland Education Scholarship​​

The Cystic Fibrosis Queensland Education Scholarship directly supports education scholarships for our members. This scholarship is open to all people living with cystic fibrosis who are current members of Cystic Fibrosis Queensland. 

To be eligible, this must be your first attempt at post-compulsory education or training qualifications. And the study must be undertaken through a higher education institute or registered training organisation that provides recognised qualifications. Study can be completed either full or part-time, face to face or online. 

Mental Health First Aid Training

To help members overcome their sense of isolation and improve their psychosocial well-being, mental health training and education is critical. We occasionally receive funding to provide Mental Health First Aid Training for our members.  All members will be notified of Mental Health First Aid Training opportunities.  If you would like to put your name on a wait list please email services@cfqld.org.au and express your interest.

Mental Health Support available through Medicare

If you feel you need mental health support and it’s not an emergency, it’s best to see your doctor.

When you see your doctor, they’ll assess what help you need. This could include:

• making a mental health assessment
• creating a mental health treatment plan
• referring you to a psychiatrist or other mental health professional
• giving you a prescription for medicines to treat depression or anxiety.

Your doctor might ask you some personal questions to understand your situation. Sometimes it can be hard to talk to others about your mental health.

If your doctor bulk bills, Medicare will cover the cost of the appointment. If you pay the full cost, you can make a claim for the amount Medicare will  cover. Your doctor can also make a claim on your behalf.

Counselling

Living with cystic fibrosis can be emotionally draining for not only the person living with cystic fibrosis, but also for those who are in their immediate care network.  Talking to someone about it can help you work through the many feelings you may be experiencing. If you are seeking support, speak with your GP about a Mental Health Treatment Plan. The plan identifies your treatment options, support services available and the goals you are seeking – in agreement with your GP.

Mental Health Subsidy

A Mental Health Treatment Plan lets you claim up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year. The plan helps you access free or subsided sessions. To start with, your doctor can refer you to a mental health professional for six sessions. If you need more, they can refer you for further sessions. Your mental health treatment plan does not expire. You can begin using it at any time for the number of services you are referred for. If you use all 10 sessions and you feel you need further support, visit your GP to discuss your needs. Because health professionals set their own fees, Medicare may only cover some of the cost. If you do incur a gap payment between the counselling fee and the Medicare rebate AND you do not have private health insurance, you may be entitled under our Counselling subsidy for reimbursement. This subsidy is set at $200 per person, for the lifetime of your Cystic Fibrosis Queensland membership.  If you have private health insurance, you are welcome to avail of this subsidy if your entitlements under your insurance benefits have been fully used. If you do not use all the funding in one calendar year, don’t worry as you have access to the remaining subsidy when and if you need it.

Please use this form to claim your Mental Health Subsidy

If you live in a remote area, it might be hard to see a mental health professional. You may be able to have a telehealth video consultation instead. You can claim for video consultation sessions with a mental health professional. Ask your GP or mental health professional if they offer this service.

Mental Health Resources:

The Head to Health website has helpful resources from a range of mental health websites. It has information about:

• supporting yourself
• supporting someone else.

The Reachout Australia website has information to support young people experiencing mental health issues.

If you’re in crisis and need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. They’re open 24 hours a day, sevendays a week. The Lifeline website also has helpful information on crisis support and suicide prevention.

If you’re between the ages of 5 and 25, you can call the kidshelpline on 1800 551 800. They’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They offer a phone counselling service. The kidshelpline website also has helpful information for kids, teenagers, young adults, and parents.

Caring for someone with a mental health issue can be challenging emotionally and financially.

Centrelink offers support through:

• Carer Payment – an income support payment if you give constant care to someone and meet eligibility requirements
• Carer Supplement – an extra yearly payment for some carers
• Carer Adjustment Payment – a one-off payment for carers of children under seven with severe illness or major disability.

You can use the Carer Gateway website to find other kinds of support. This includes practical, social, and emotional help.

For all cystic fibrosis related health care, please always speak first with your clinician.

RArEST Project

• Mental Health Fact Sheet

If you or a member of your family has cystic fibrosis and you live in a rural, regional or remote area and are eligible to claim government patient transport assistance – we can assist you with additional accommodation support of up to $25 per night up to a maximum of $100 per stay, capped at $400 per year.

Click here to download the form.

Email the completed form, along with evidence of your patient transport assistance scheme application, to claims@cfqld.org.au by the first Wednesday in December.

Please be sure to access your government patient transport assistance schemes first, such as the QLD Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme, the NT Patient Assistance Travel Scheme  or the NSW Isolated Patients Transport and Accommodation Assistance Scheme.​

We occasionally receive grants to provide cleaning to our members.  All members will be notified of cleaning opportunities.

Cystic Fibrosis Queensland applies for a number of grants throughout the year, please contact services@cfqld.org.au to find out if there are any grants currently available. All grants can be claimed by filling out the subsidy claim form and returning it to services@cfqld.org.au.

Bodytrack Exercise Physiology​

Bodytrack Exercise Physiology offer evidence based, individually designed exercise programs to help you manage your health conditions, find out more here. ​

Bodytrack are offering our members an Initial Assessment and an Individualised Home Exercise program, either in clinic or via telehealth, for just $150. You can also see your GP and get up to five, 30 minute rebated exercise physiology sessions under Medicare, give Bodytrack a call to find out more.

​Experience the benefit of exercise as medicine, with this video, created especially for our cystic fibrosis members. ​​​​

EPIC Assist​

EPIC Assist has been helping people with disability and chronic illness find and maintain work for almost 30 years. The supportive team at EPIC Assist will work with you to find a part time or casual position that accommodates your physical and health needs. ​

When you start employment, they remain in touch and continue supporting you as you transition.

EPIC Assist not only helps you find employment, but also offers training to help job seekers re-skill for the workforce. EPIC Education Assist delivers nationally recognised courses for people with disability, individuals supporting people with disability, and those entering the disability sector. They also provide workshops to businesses interested in increasing their workplace diversity. EPIC Assist works closely with students to help them attain their qualifications, and go on to bigger and better things. High school students and adults who are completing traineeships, apprenticeships, and accredited courses can access extra study support through their partner organisation, Planning 4 Life.

If you need to change employment due to your health or are seeking to return to work, visit epicassist.org or phone 13 EPIC (13 3742) to speak with a consultant.​

HealthMatch

We are delighted to introduce our partnership with HealthMatch to provide our members with direct access to cystic fibrosis clinical trials.​

HealthMatch is a platform that has been designed to put patients first in finding and accessing relevant clinical trials. By creating a profile and answering a few questions, you are able to find clinical trial options.

HealthMatch maintains an up to date list of the most active clinical trials in Australia.​

You’ll be notified of future clinical trial matches as they are launched.​

If you have any questions, you can reach the HealthMatch team directly at support@healthmatch.io

Find out more here

Better Care Market

Better Care Market are offering our members a 5% discount for their products.

To join up please click here.

TravelCard Real-Time Travel Insurance 

TravelCard Real-Time Travel Insurance are offering Cystic Fibrosis Queensland members travel insurance with less paperwork and Real-Time claims. Find out more here

Individuals living with cystic fibrosis are now able to apply for NDIS funding. Trusted Care is a subsidiary of  Cystic Fibrosis Queensland  and provides Plan Management and direct support to help individuals achieve daily living skills and innovative community participation goals.