1.1 National : Our CEO Pat Turner met this week with Minister Ken Wyatt and the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) the peak body representing the specialist medical colleges in Australia.to discuss building our health workforce

1.2 National : Our Deputy CEO Dr Dawn Casey attended the Parliamentary Friends Group for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eyehealth

2. ACT : Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (WNAHCS) last night celebrated its 30th anniversary

3.1 NT:Congress Alice Springs expands its number of town clinics to service needs of clients

3.2 NT : Katherine West Health Board sponsors SMOKE FREE Sports Day

4.1 NSW: Galambila ACCHO Coffs Harbour : Pharmacists and Indigenous Community Health with Chris Braithwaite

4.2 NSW : Number of birth registrations for babies born to Aboriginal mothers in NSW has almost doubled in the past 6 months

5.1 QLD : Cronulla Sharks announce a partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health’s (IUIH) Deadly Choices preventative health program.

5.2 QLD :  Apunipima SEWB Program Community Implementation Manager talks about R U OK Campaign #RUOKDay #RUOKEveryday

6.WA : AHCWA staff attended the Baby Coming -You Ready Research Project launch

1.National : Our CEO Pat Turner met this week with Minister Ken Wyatt and the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) the peak body representing the specialist medical colleges in Australia.to discuss building our health workforce

1.2 National : Our Deputy CEO Dr Dawn Casey attended the Parliamentary Friends Group for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eyehealth

2. ACT : Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (WNAHCS) last night celebrated its 30^th anniversary

Winnunga last night celebrated its 30^th anniversary , as it continues to go from strength to strength – providing responsive, appropriate services, tailored to the needs of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Canberra

Picture above : Wally Bell welcome to country at dinner celebrating 30 years of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health : Pictures below Geoff Bagnall

  

The Ngunnawal people are the Traditional Owners of the lands that the ACT is located on. However, there are many Aboriginal people from other parts of the country living in and visiting Canberra.

This is mainly due to the mobility of people generally, connecting with family, the histories of displacement, and employment opportunities particularly in the Commonwealth public service.

Winnunga was established in 1988 by local Aboriginal people inspired by the national mobilisation of people around the opening of the new Parliament House in May and the visit by the Queen.

The late Olive Brown, a particularly inspirational figure who worked tirelessly for the health of Aboriginal people, saw the need to set up a temporary medical service at the Tent Embassy site in Canberra and this proved to be the beginning of Winnunga.

Mrs Brown enlisted the support of Dr Sally Creasey, Carolyn Patterson (registered nurse/midwife), Margaret McCleod and others to assist. Soon after ACT Health offered Mrs Brown a room in the office behind the Griffin Centre to run a clinic twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday mornings) and on Saturday mornings. Winnunga operated out of this office from 1988 to 1990. The then Winnunga Medical Director, Dr Peter Sharp, began work at Winnunga in 1989.

Other staff worked as volunteers. In January 1990 the t ACT Minister for Health at the time, Wayne Berry, provided a small amount of funding. By 1991 the clinic was operating out of the Griffin Centre as a full time medical practice. In that same year the ACT attained self-government.

In 2004 Winnunga moved to its current premises at Boolimba Cres in Narrabundah, and employs over 60 staff. Winnunga has grown into a major health service resource for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the ACT and surrounding region, and delivers a wide range of wholistic health care services.

3.1 NT:Congress Alice Springs expands its number of town clinics to service needs of clients

Today I visited Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and it was beaut to get a tour of the new clinic with manager Catherine Hampton.

The clinic at North Side Shopping Complex will provide comprehensive primary health care services for all Aboriginal people living in the North Side area

Warren Snowdon is the local Federal member for Lingiari

People living in the north of Alice Springs will now have access to a new clinic as primary health care service Central Australian Aboriginal Congress expands its network.

The new Congress Northside Clinic in the Northside Shopping Centre held an open day on Saturday September 8 and begin providing services from Wednesday September 12.

It will cater for nearly 2000 clients living in the town’s north, including Trucking Yards, Charles Creek and Warlpiri Camp.

Congress chief executive officer Donna Ah Chee said the clinic would have doctors, Aboriginal health practitioners, nurses, podiatry services, a dietician, a diabetes educator and also offer care coordination and social and emotional well-being help.

Ms Ah Chee said it would also provide advocacy and other support to families in the northside area.

“Providing a smaller clinic closer to our clients is an exciting development and builds on the success of our Larapinta and Sadadeen clinics that opened in 2016,” she said.

The new clinic has nine consultation rooms, a double treatment room and two allied health treatment rooms.

Central Australian Aboriginal Congress said it had found that smaller, multidisciplinary teams delivered better continuity of care, access and chronic disease outcomes.

3.2 NT : Katherine West Health Board sponsors SMOKE FREE Sports Day

Our Quit Support Team had a great weekend at Freedom Day Festival
KWHB were a proud sponsor to make the festival smoke free 🚭to protect everyone from harmful cigarette smoke.

Check out the AFL and Basketball teams next to our deadly archway!

What’s your smoke free story?

National Best Practice Unit Tackling Indigenous Smoking

4.1 NSW: Galambila ACCHO Coffs Harbour : Pharmacists and Indigenous Community Health with Chris Braithwaite

SHPA caught up with Chris Braithwaite, a pharmacist with the Galambila Aboriginal Health Service in Northern NSW.

Chris spoke to us about:

• his journey to working with indigenous communities
• what an average day looks like
• the challenges posed by existing funding models for home medicines reviews
• cultural competence and institutional racism

Listen to the Podcast HERE 

4.2 NSW : Number of birth registrations for babies born to Aboriginal mothers in NSW has almost doubled in the past 6 months

The number of birth registrations for babies born to Aboriginal mothers in NSW has almost doubled in the past 6 months since the introduction of a new online birth registration system by the NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages (BDM).

Attorney General Mark Speakman announced the success of the online registration form as a result of the Our Kids Count campaign which aims to increase Aboriginal birth registrations through better access to information about the birth registration process.

“The number of unregistered Aboriginal births has traditionally been too high, but we’re closing the gap by highlighting the importance of registration and making the process faster and easier to complete,” said Mr Speakman.

“A birth certificate allows people to fully participate in society and without one, many of the basic opportunities we take for granted such as enrolling in school, sport or getting a driver licence, become unnecessarily complicated and out of reach.”

New figures show the average number of children registered to Aboriginal mothers since March 2018 has increased 82 per cent since the last quarter of 2017, and a 101 per cent increase since 2016.

NSW Registrar for Births Deaths & Marriages, Amanda Ianna said the new online birth registration has been popular among all sections of the community since it was introduced in April 2018.

“The take up rate for the online form has exceeded all our expectations with over 90 per cent of all NSW birth registrations now being made through the online system. The form is intuitive and people can complete it at a time and place that suits them,” Ms Ianna said.

BDM has spread the message about the benefits of birth registration during visits to Aboriginal communities and through brochures and online material, including an educational video.

For more information about Our Kids Count, visit: www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Aboriginal

5.1 QLD : Cronulla Sharks announce a partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health’s (IUIH) Deadly Choices preventative health program.

“This partnership will bring life-changing benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples right across Australia,

The Sharks players will assist in educating youth about the importance of taking a preventative approach to their health, and living healthy lifestyles. This includes reducing the negative impacts of smoking and drinking alcohol, and advocating consistent attendance at school.

It provides the kids a chance to make positive decisions around being a deadly student. It’s about our young ones looking at the opportunities available, with education being the passport towards achieving their dreams.”

IUIH CEO Adrian Carson.

Club stalwart and 2001 Dally M Player of the Year, Preston Campbell returned to his former NRL club recently, as the Cronulla Sharks announced a partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health’s (IUIH) Deadly Choices preventative health program.

As a Deadly Choices Ambassador, Campbell has been instrumental in assisting to bring about better health and educational outcomes among Indigenous communities in Australia; a formula which the Sharks will now implement to boost existing and future community programs within its Sharks Have Heart portfolio.

A huge thank you to Deadly Choices and local elder Aunty Deanna Schreiber for designing and creating our farewells gifts to JT

“The Deadly Choices – Cronulla Sharks partnership will help reinforce those positive mental and physical health outcomes among communities, through the promotion of healthy eating, active participation in sport, and emphasising the importance of a good education,” said Campbell.

“Sharing the good word among community around positive health, both physically and mentally, is something I believe in and feel privileged to be a part of through Deadly Choices.

“When you have kids at such an impressionable age it’s important to direct plenty of positive messaging and ensuring they create good habits for themselves.

“I’ve had a chance to speak with the boys today about the Deadly Choices programs and they’re excited about the impact they’ll have on our young kids”

“It’s all positive, making a difference in communities and providing a chance to give back.”

As explained by Sharks Have Heart General Manager George Nour, empowering youth within communities is exactly what the Sharks intend to achieve through the Deadly Choices partnership.

“Sharks Have Heart are extremely proud to launch our partnership with Deadly Choices,” Nour said. “To be associated with such a strong and respected brand within the Indigenous community is only going to strengthen our programmes within our diversity pillar.”

At the launch, the Sharks were provided a snapshot of what it means to make Deadly Choices and be role models for community, with Campbell joined by fellow long-term Deadly Choices Ambassador and former league international Steve Renouf in discussing their roles.

Sharks Co-Captain Wade Graham, a member of the Australian World Cup squad last year and twice an Indigenous All Star in 2016 and 2017, was joined by Indigenous teammates Andrew Fifita, Jesse Ramien and Edrick Lee at the program launch.

Graham was excited by the Sharks new partnership and to be teaming up with Deadly Choices.

“I think staying fit is extremely important in this day and age, particularly for the youth and if the Sharks and Deadly Choices can encourage as many people as possible to get the body moving, to eat healthy and to have an active lifestyle, it is going to be extremely beneficial to the Indigenous community,” Graham said.

“I am looking forward to working with Deadly Choices who do outstanding work in the Indigenous community and to be helping to spread their important messages,” he added.

In 2016-17 in South East Queensland alone, the Deadly Choices team delivered 145 education programs to more than 1860 participants. The team also held 10 community and sporting events, with almost 1500 attendees and participants.

5.2 QLD :  Apunipima SEWB Program Community Implementation Manager talks about R U OK Campaign #RUOKDay #RUOKEveryday

WATCH HERE

Today and every day is RU OK Day? Start a conversation and support your friends, colleagues, family and community.

6.WA : AHCWA staff attended the Baby Coming -You Ready Research Project launch

This innovative project began with Kalyakool Moort research. The highly collaborative project has embodied passion and commitment to improve perinatal wellbeing and engagement for women and men at this significant time.

The ‘Baby Coming-You Ready?” Rubric has been developed, digitised and designed by Aboriginal women, men and researchers.