Church Support Helps Purple House Expand Healthcare Across Remote Australia

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In the remote Western Desert, more than 500 kilometres west of Alice Springs, the community of Kintore is a long way from major medical services.

But after receiving dialysis there, Lorna Jackson can head to work at the local school.

Jackson has been part of Kintore School for many years. A bilingual educator, she teaches Pintupi Luritja alongside her mother and now her daughter, helping keep students engaged and culture strong.

Having dialysis available in Kintore means Jackson can remain on Country and continue to teach and share her knowledge.

“Purple House is good here for dialysis, I can come after dialysis to school for work,” Jackson said.

Her experience gets to the heart of why Purple House exists. For Aboriginal people living in remote communities, having dialysis closer to home means they can be with family, contribute to their communities and maintain connections to culture and Country.

In the 1990s, Pintupi people from the Western Desert who needed dialysis faced a difficult choice: leave home for treatment in Alice Springs or remain on Country without care.

For those who left, it meant being separated from family, culture and Country. Their absence was also felt back home, where Elders were no longer there to fulfil cultural obligations, provide leadership, care for Country and pass important knowledge to younger generations.

The community decided there had to be a better way.

In 2000, Pintupi artists helped raise more than $1 million through the Western Desert Dialysis Appeal by auctioning their artwork. The money helped establish what became Purple House and eventually brought dialysis to Kintore.

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“Everyone told them it wouldn’t be possible, and they really proved everyone wrong,” said Kate Fessey, Communications and Engagement Manager at Purple House.

Purple House Today

Today, Purple House operates in 20 remote communities across the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. In 2025–26 alone, its teams provided more than 11,000 dialysis treatments.

But its work extends well beyond dialysis.

“It’s about looking after the whole person, keeping families together, caring for community and keeping culture strong,” Fessey said.

Purple House also provides primary healthcare, social support, healthy food, wellbeing programs and bush medicine.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is currently supporting four Purple House projects, each addressing a different challenge involved in providing healthcare across remote Australia.

One is portable ultrasound equipment that can travel to remote communities. When dialysis patients need a fistula assessed, the equipment can help avoid a return trip to a major centre.

Fessey said the ultrasound has been “a game changer” for the dialysis team.

Solar installations at Purple House’s new Alice Springs headquarters and Yuendumu clinic offer another long-term benefit. Fessey said the first quarterly electricity bill at the new headquarters was about $10,000. Since the solar panels were installed, they have covered nearly all the building’s electricity costs.

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Savings on electricity will go into a dedicated solar fund to help pay for solar installations at additional Purple House locations.

Church support is also helping fund a new Biomedical Engineering Lab at the Alice Springs headquarters. The new lab will bring the team that maintains dialysis equipment together with Purple House’s clinical and operational staff.

The fourth project supports four dialysis chairs and related equipment for a new clinic under construction in Anmatjere (Ti Tree), about 193 kilometres north of Alice Springs.

Together, the projects address different needs—from reducing unnecessary travel and operating costs to maintaining critical equipment and bringing treatment closer to home.

Fessey said Purple House and the Church have been working together for about 18 months. The relationship began with smaller projects and has grown as Purple House has identified new needs.

“It’s been a really wonderful, strong partnership and really good outcomes for us,” Fessey said.

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following Jesus Christ includes reaching out to people in need and helping them care for themselves and their families.

“We are grateful to work with organisations like Purple House that understand the needs of the community,” said Elder Craig W.J. Raeside, Area Seventy. “By working together, we can do more to lift and bless those in need.”

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Looking Ahead

Purple House continues to expand its services, with 14 new dialysis clinics expected to open over the next two years across remote Australia.

Purple House is also strengthening its Perth-based operations and infrastructure as it prepares to support more remote clinics across Western Australia.

The growth brings Purple House back to the purpose that started it in the first place: helping people receive care closer to home.

For Lorna Jackson, that means finishing dialysis in Kintore and heading to the local school, where she can continue teaching Pintupi Luritja to another generation.