• Housing overhaul needed to combat RHD
• COVID-19 resources for mob
• Strength in Connection Members Workshops
• Barranggirra participant works to establish health career
• Tackling overcrowding one swag at a time
• Marang Dhali Eating Well Program graduates
• Sector Jobs
• Events and training

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.

Housing overhaul need to combat RHD

Building more and better living space is crucial to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Aboriginal people living in remote areas, yet the current model of remote housing is failing to improve conditions. The 2020 Australian guideline for prevention, diagnosis and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, available here, acknowledges that reducing the negative impacts of overcrowding for remote living Aboriginal people has strong evidence. Overcrowded living conditions are ripe for the spread, directly or indirectly, of Streptococcus, which is the trigger for acute rheumatic fever in hyper-exposed individuals. Reducing conditions that lead to overcrowded living spaces will decrease streptococcal colonisation and subsequently reduce rates of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

In the NT, the reason that Indigenous houses are so overcrowded is simple: there are not enough houses. And, thus, it makes sense that building more houses will rectify the problem of physical overcrowding. However, if houses are designed in ways that force people to crowd indoors, then they may actually exacerbate overcrowded conditions ripe for diseases such as rheumatic fever, and this is what is currently happening. In hot climates, if houses do not perform well in the hot weather and cost too much to keep cool, they will exacerbate overcrowding.

The current model of remote housing in the NT has not only failed to improve but probably worsened physical overcrowding. In the past five or so years, more houses and more bedrooms have been built in remote areas in the NT than ever before, yet the rate of diseases such as RHD, which are the canary in the coalmine of overcrowding, is going up. Despite the $1.1b remote housing spend, which last week was extended to $4b over the next 10 years, there is evidence that something with this housing model is going very wrong. And we do not need research to tell us the reason; communities have clearly expressed that the new houses being built and designed without community consultation have forced them to live in closer proximity.

To view the Insight+ article Housing overhaul needed to combat rheumatic heart disease in full click here.

COVID-19 resources for mob

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has made available a range updated COVID-19 vaccination resources specifically tailored for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people:

• Poster – 6 months to under 5 years
• Keep your kids protected with a COVID-19 vaccination
• Children, youth and COVD-19 vaccines information kit
• Fact sheet – After your vaccination
• Keeping up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines after testing positive

Strength in Connection Members Workshops

More than 50 Members from across Qld enjoyed comprehensive training in accreditation and human resources at QAIHC’s Strength in Connection Members Workshops at Stamford Plaza in late February. The Members’ Accreditation Workshop and the Human Resources Training Workshop were coordinated over a two-day period and covered a range of topics, including the development of the ACCHO sector and its workforce. The event attracted Members from areas including Far North Queensland, Mackay, Rockhampton, Charleville, Fraser Coast South East Queensland, and the Sunshine Coast. The Members Accreditation Workshop focused on how to coordinate and deliver a high-quality, professional and fully compliant health service.

Facilitated by QAIHC Compliance and Quality Manager Melita Parker and Senior Quality and Compliance Officer Tamara Dix, the workshop discussed the importance of forward planning, barriers and opportunities, building an accreditation plan as well as a wide-ranging question-and-answer session. Melita said the workshop was important not just for accreditation but building a community of practice where administrators could network and share information. “Accreditation and compliance are incredibly important, but we also wanted to provide a safe space where Members could connect with other Members,” she said. “If people in our Membership can talk to each other and share that knowledge, that’s how we build a strong and resilient ACCHO sector.”

The Human Resources Workshop focused on the complexities of human resources delivery in the ACCHO landscape and was delivered by HR Specialist Ron Nelson. Topics included workforce planning, recruitment and onboarding; industrial relations and workplace investigations; and legislation, best practice and general administration. “Workforce planning is an integral piece of work which drives the success of an organisation driven and supported by the organisations’ strategic plan and goals. It is inextricably linked to recruitment, retention and ultimately service provision which impacts the ongoing reputation and viability of the organisation. There is no place for complacency,” Mr Nelson said.

To view the QAIHC Sector Leader article Housing overhaul needed to tackle rheumatic heart disease in full click here.

Barrabggirra participant working to establish health career 

Robert Rahman is a participant in Souths Cares Barranggirra Program who is working hard to establish his career within the Healthcare sector. In addition to studying for his HSC this year at Corpus Christi College, Robert is on-track to complete a School-Based Traineeship in Health Services with Sydney Local Health District. Robert’s School-Based Traineeship is based at the Sydney Eye Hospital, where he works in the Day Procedure Unit to support patients pre-surgery and post-surgery. Throughout his School-Based Traineeship he is learning a host of valuable skills including participating in patient handovers, taking medical histories, documenting patient observations and providing patients with medical information as they discharge from surgery.

Whilst Robert is now thriving in his education and training, he had to overcome some challenges in Year 10 which saw him struggling with motivation to engage with education and attend school. Robert has a close connection with Souths Cares, having previously been a participant in the Deadly Youth Mentoring Program and attending Leadership and Cultural Camps. Robert explained the connection to culture and mentoring support provided through Souths Cares programs has been an important part of his journey. Robert has developed a passion for healthcare and has a few career options in mind including becoming paramedic or becoming an Aboriginal Healthcare Worker within a public hospital or regional community.

Souths Cares Barranggirra Program has been supporting Robert complete his School-Based Traineeship through providing regular mentoring support and group mentoring sessions with other School-Based Trainees at this workplace and TAFE. Barranggirra Employment and Training Mentor, Robyn Murphy explained Robert was setting an outstanding example for other young people in his community. “Robert has had to overcome some hurdles during his high school years but is now on a great trajectory. He has met life’s challenges with bravery and class – setting a great example for his peers”, Robyn said.

To view the Rabbitohs article Barranggirra Participant Working Hard to Establish his Career in Healthcare in full click here.

Tackling overcrowding one swag at a time

As a boy, Dan Fischer was in and out of different foster homes. He describes his younger self as “a serial runaway”. At 14, he was sent to a remote cattle station near Alice Springs as part of a youth justice program. Mr Fischer said this experience was a turning point in his life and taught him the strong work ethic he now hoped to inspire in others. “I stayed there for about two years, then came back to Darwin and I didn’t want to go on the dole,” he said. “So I went and walked one end of Winnellie Road to the other until I found someone to give me a job, and it just so happened to be an upholstery place.”

A few decades on, Mr Fischer is using his upholstery-making skills to help jobseekers in remote communities find work. Over the past two years, he and his students from Gapuwiyak, Mornington Island and Katherine have made about 150 swags. And in the NT, a jurisdiction that has a homelessness rate 12 times the national average and chronic issues with overcrowding, the swags also offer a safe place to sleep. “That’s another 150 beds out there,” Mr Fischer said. “We all know there is not enough housing out there but there is plenty of ground to roll a swag out.”

He said the idea for the program arose when he was living and working in Ramingining, where families were having “big issues” with kids not going to school. “The kids were staying up all night because the parents were sleeping in the beds, so there can be up to 20 people in a house and they sleep in shifts,” he said. “So, I thought, ‘How can I tackle this and get some more beds out there?’ “We were making bed frames at the time, but there’s not enough room in the houses to put huge wooden bed frames. “[But] the swags roll up to nothing and they can put them in the corner.”

To view the ABC News article NT man Dan Fischer tackling overcrowding and helping jobseekers one swag at a time in full click here.

Marang Dhali Eating Well Program graduates

A number of local Indigenous women have completed the Marang Dhali Eating Well (MDEW) Program in Condobolin. Those who attended the Graduation Ceremony received a Certificate of Completion and a gift bag last month, on 21 March 2024. ‘Marang Dhali’ is the Wiradjuri language phrase for ‘eating well’, with participants taking part in sessions at the Hope Community Church in William Street. The group created healthy meals and learned about healthy eating during the course. They also shared meals together once the cooking was finished or took leftovers home to their families.

This program is a joint initiative between Lachlan and Western Regional Services Incorporated through their Training as Parents (TAP) Program, funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), and the Western NSW Local Health District. TAP Coordinator Rebecca Dodgson along with Condobolin Community Health Senior Aboriginal Health Worker Shirley-Ann Merritt and Ellen Doolan from Western NSW Local Health District ran the sessions. Jackie Coe (CatholicCare Family Carer) and Tracey Sauerbier (Hope Community Church) also lent a helping hand.

“Marang Dhali is about increasing participants’ food and cooking knowledge, skills and confidence, thus supporting healthy food behaviours,” Mrs Dodgson explained. “It’s also about cooking on a budget and making your money go further in relation to shopping and food. During the sessions participants cook healthy recipes, discuss ideas for good nutrition and share the prepared meal together, or take some home for the family to try. We would like to congratulate all those who have completed the course. You have all worked hard to create delicious healthy meals that you can share with your family.”

To view The Condobolin Argus article Marang Dhali Eating Well Program in full click here.

The image below is from a previous article in The Condobolin Argus, available here, about the recognition of the Marang Dhali Eating Well Program (MDEW) with the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) TNN Excellence in Aboriginal Healthcare Award.

Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.

Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024. 

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

• Delegation of powers 
• Finance for Boards
• Governance documents
• Managing conflicts of interest 
• Managing risk  
• Principles of good governance  
• Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.