Today NACCHO is proud to be launching the NACCHO plan and report for achieving a healthy future for Aboriginal people

Pictured above Justin Mohamed (chair), Professor Megan Davis and  Deputy chair Matthew Cooke

The NACCHO HEALTHY FUTURES 10-point plan 2013-2030 provides our sector, stakeholders, partners and governments with a clear set of priorities and strategies that will result in improvements in Aboriginal health outcomes.

DOWNLOAD the HEALTHY FUTURE 10 point plan HERE

Today we are also releasing a report card compiled by the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare that provides evidence of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services contribution towards Aboriginal health gains.

DOWNLOAD the NACCHO AIHW Healthy for LIFE report June 2013

LAUNCH speech by Justin Mohamed and press release below

Bi-partisan support from Minister Snowdon and Opposition Spokesperson Andrew Laming

Justin Mohamed speech Parliament House Canberra

Today I am proud to be launching the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation “Ten-Point Plan’ for achieving a healthy future for Aboriginal people.

The plan provides a clear path for delivering the generational change needed to address the appalling health and life expectancy outcomes for Our people.

It provides us all a roadmap to follow and be guided by which will make long and lasting improvements to the health of Aboriginal people now and into the future.

For me, this plan is a realisation of more than 20 years work in our Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector.

Many of you will know I started out in my early 20’s in junior role at the Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative – an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in Victoria.

Over the past two decades, I have had the privileged to be taught and guided by many “forward thinkers of our time” about Aboriginal health

The lessons, wise words of warning and at times stern direction where not lost on me, as a youth worker to health services manager, CEO and then Chairperson.

In that time,As I learnt more and more about our fabulous sector –from birth to aged care and everything in between –

I quickly realised and strongly believed in the need for a clear plan and vision.

The need for an articulated vision and national plan for both our sector and our people is vital

I know the ingredients that is embodied in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services at the local level provides us with the building blocks for what we see today in a collective national direction –spelling out the goals we are aiming for to guide our actions and policy into the future.

Too often well intentioned plans, policies and laws have been a top down, prescriptive approach where we have been told what is good for us.

Rarely have we had the opportunity to properly spell out our collective approach and provide our own vision at the national level:

To be drivers of policy rather than the reactors to it.

Until today.

The NACCHO ten-point plan provides

Our members, stakeholders, partners and governments with a clear set of priorities and strategies that will result in improvements in Aboriginal health outcomes.

It is underpinned by the goals and sentiments of the Close the Gap Statement of Intent signed in 2005 by many of the organisations and political parties in the room today.

It reinforces the need to invest in capacity building, supporting and expanding Aboriginal Community Controlled Health services to ensure more Aboriginal people can access more services in more places around the country including urban, regional and remote.

The plan focuses on innovation, leadership and accountability so we make sure we are providing best practice services tailored to the needs to our communities.

It ensures we maintain strong partnerships and strengthen the role we play in the development of health policy, program development, reform, implementation and monitoring into the future.

The health workforce is also a critical priority in the plan

To ensure we are not only delivering culturally appropriate services but also providing local employment for Aboriginal people in their own communities.

We have designed the plan so it can be utilised to inform and guide policy makers – both in government and the NGO sectors – as they develop their own policy and plans.

I trust it will complement the Governments eagerly awaited National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan

So both NACCHO and government – regardless of who is in power – can work together to continue the great work and benefits Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector brings to Closing the GAP in Aboriginal health.

And indeed these benefits are many.

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health services provide culturally appropriate comprehensive primary health care to over 310,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people each year (close to 50% of the total Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander population of this nation) and we are credited with three quarters of the health gains made against the Close the Gap health targets.

We all know that without an evidence based approach, accurate data and quality research; Plans, Aspirations and Goals can all fall short or lose direction.

Alongside the 10 Point Plan

Today we are also releasing a report card compiled by The Australian Institute of Health & Welfare that provides evidence of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services contribution towards Aboriginal health gains.

This comprehensive report shows Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations are demonstrating high performance, strong return on investment and making inroads in improving the health of our people.

The data shows that through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations we are seeing very real improvements in vital areas such as birth weights and health management plans for those with high risk diseases like diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Encouragingly, the average birthweight of Aboriginal babies has increased, and the number of Aboriginal babies with a normal birthweight grew to 84.2 per cent.

With health indicators such as overall mortality we have seen a 33% decline from 1991 to 2010 and a 62% decline in infant mortality over the same period.

This will come as no surprise to some of us in this room as we have for many years personally experienced and witnessed the wonderful value that Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands brings to local Communities

The report card confirms this and aluminates the fact that the grass roots model of Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands is the solution to closing the health gap.

You will each find a summary of the ten-point plan and the AIHW report card on(SEE ABOVE DOWNLOADS).

I urge you to take them away and review them –to consider the goals, strategies and vision of our sector and than consider how you can work with us to provide a healthier future for our people.

Thank you.

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

NACCHO Chair, Justin Mohamed, said the report by the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare showed that there were many positive signs that health service delivery by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people, was having an impact.

“The data shows that through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, (ACCHOs) we are seeing very real improvements in birthweights and health management plans for those with high risk diseases like diabetes,” said Mr Mohamed.

“The average birthweight of Aboriginal babies has increased by 66 grams, and the number of Aboriginal babies with a normal birthweight grew to 84.2 per cent.

“The number of Aboriginals clients with Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease saw an increase in both GP management plans and team care arrangements to provide extra support and monitoring of their condition.

“With health indicators such as overall mortality we have seen a 33% decline from 1991 to 2010 and a 62% decline in infant mortality over the same period.

“NACCHO is keen to see continued investment in a bottom-up approach to Aboriginal health, which is clearly having strong and positive results in communities.

“Health is too important to impose health delivery from the top-down and risk alienating Aboriginal people who may be reluctant to engage with the mainstream medical profession.

“With culturally appropriate health providers with majority Aboriginal governance, this risk is minimised considerably – and the report card shows that ACCHOs are having a very real effect in improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people.

“ACCHOs provide primary health care to over 310,000 Aboriginal people each year which is just under half of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. They are also one of the largest employers of Aboriginal people in Australia, providing stable and meaningful jobs to Aboriginal people in urban, rural and remote communities.

“Our Ten-Point plan is about planning for the next stage, because there is absolutely more to be done to Close the Gap and reduce disadvantage.”

NACCHOs Ten-Point plan for Aboriginal Health suggests that we can achieve a healthy future for future generations by investing in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector to deliver innovative, comprehensive primary health care.

“This is driven by genuine partnerships with Aboriginal communities, capacity building within communities and services, and for ongoing monitoring and evaluation against targets.”

“We urge governments of all levels to look to the plan when developing or implementing policy on Aboriginal health, which incorporates the goals of the 2008 Close the Gap Statement of Intent.

“Putting Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands is about more than respect and understanding of cultural values, it is also an efficient, effective model that is having real results and improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people, with three quarters of the Close the Gap target gains credited to ACCHOs,” said Mr Mohamed.

 Media contact: Colin Cowell 0401 331 251, Anaya Latter 0432 121 636

 

The NACCHO HEALTHY FUTURES 10-point plan 2013-2030 provides our sector, stakeholders, partners and governments with a clear set of priorities and strategies that will result in improvements in Aboriginal health outcomes.

DOWNLOAD the HEALTHY FUTURE 10 point plan HERE

Today we are also releasing a report card compiled by the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare that provides evidence of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services contribution towards Aboriginal health gains.

DOWNLOAD the NACCHO AIHW Healthy for LIFE report June 2013