Diane O'Connor is a Clinical Nurse Specialist who has been providing specialist tuberculosis (TB) nursing care and administering bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccines across Southern for the past sixteen years.
Since the 1980s Australia has maintained one of the lowest rates of TB in the world. Nevertheless, 1,405 new cases of TB were reported in Australia in 2023, with 528 cases notified in NSW. This also included 12 cases of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR).
Based in Goulburn, Di coordinates and attends clinics for people affected by TB, and works closely with our specialist physicians; and supports our patients as they navigate through their journey.
She brings with her a wealth of experience in managing TB and latent tuberculosis (LTBI) and has seen and adapted to the many changes and challenges over her time with Southern.
When Di isn't working, you will catch her in the garden and veggie patch with her lovely two white alpacas.
Di is part of the NSW TB program, which provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary service for the prevention, screening and treatment of TB in NSW.
Headed up by the Public Health Unit, Southern's TB service provides free specialised care to anyone affected by TB, regardless of Medicare eligibility, including:
- comprehensive assessment and diagnostic services
- medical and nursing consultations for all aspects of prevention and control
- treatment of latent and active Tuberculosis including supervision of medication adherence
- occupational TB screening
- immigration TB screening and assessment
- TB contact screening and outbreak investigations
- BCG vaccination
- education for parents, community and health care workers.
