Health leaders in Western Australia's Kimberley have acknowledged the retirement of long-serving National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) chief executive Pat Turner.

The boards of Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services (KAMS) and Kimberley Renal Services (KRS) said Ms Turner had played an integral role in strengthening the national standing of the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector.

An Arrernte and Gurdanji woman, Ms Turner has led NACCHO since 2016 and also served as Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, which represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies involved in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

KAMS and KRS Chair Raymond Christophers said her leadership had helped elevate preventative and environmental health issues nationally.

"Pat Turner's leadership has helped highlight the importance of preventative health across the country, including a stronger national focus on environmental health as a key driver of health outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities," Mr Christophers said.

"Her advocacy has consistently highlighted that health does not start in hospitals or clinics, but in the home. Safe housing, water, sanitation, and healthy environments are fundamental to community wellbeing."

Mr Christophers said her work had also helped bring broader national attention to issues long understood by Aboriginal communities.

"As Pat has said, environmental health is often taken for granted in mainstream Australia. In Aboriginal communities it requires strong partnerships, cultural knowledge, and sustained investment. Her leadership has helped ensure these issues remain firmly on the national agenda."

KAMS and KRS chief executive Vicki O'Donnell said Ms Turner had also played a key role in advancing national reform.

"Pat has been a strong national leader for Aboriginal community control, including through her leadership within NACCHO and the Coalition of Peaks in the development and implementation of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap," Mrs O'Donnell said.

She said Ms Turner also provided strong national leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In Western Australia and the Kimberley we saw the strength of Aboriginal-led responses, with local services working closely with governments to keep communities safe."

KAMS and KRS also welcomed the appointment of Dr Dawn Casey as the new chief executive of NACCHO and congratulated Donnella Mills on her appointment as Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks.