1.1 Back ACCHO medical services to #closethegap

1.2 National : In 2018–19, NACCHO and the RACGP are working on further initiatives and we want your input! Survey closes 15 February

1.3 National : SRWF inaugural Pat Turner Scholarship awarded

2. TAS : Deadly Ninja Warrior helps the Tasmanian FIAAI Tackling Smoking Team spread the message of the benefits of healthy choices.

3.1 WA : AHCWA and the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) signed an MOU

3.2 WA : AHCWA :  Do you want to be an Aboriginal Health Worker?

4.1 NSW : Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service are active members of the “Welcome Here Project ” #LGBTIQ

4.2 NSW : Katungul ACCHO credited with changing the life of Mark Scott who was using heroin for 14 years, in prison on-and-off for 14 years and an alcoholic for 17 years

5.1 VIC : VAHS ACCHO Coming soon: Aboriginal Seniors Games!!

6. ACT : Winnunga ACCHO leads the way for independent review into the “health” of Canberra’s prison

7.QLD : Apunipima’s ACCHO Mossman Gorge Clinic shares success of ACCHO’s with James Cook University’s School of Medicine and The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine.

8.1 NT : National Rural Health Alliance promotes Sunrise ACCHO clinic at Bullman

8.2 NT: AMSANT and Danila Dilba ACCHO Darwin offer ideas on how to increase the retention of Aboriginal Health Workers

9. SA:  Pika Wiya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation officially reopened the doors to the Davenport Health Clinic on Monday, January 14.

How to submit in 2019 a NACCHO Affiliate  or Members Good News Story ?

Email to Colin Cowell NACCHO Media 

Mobile 0401 331 251 

Wednesday by 4.30 pm for publication Thursday /Friday

1.1 Back ACCHO medical services to #closethegap

” The widening and persistent deficit in the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is arguably the nation’s biggest policy failure, but Aboriginal communities are fighting back and showing how to close the gap, .

When the very first Aboriginal medical service opened its doors in a small shopfront in Sydney’s inner-city Redfern in 1971, the leaders who launched it showed enormous guts, resourcefulness and vision to address the very poor health of their people.

Almost five decades later, there are now about 145 such medical services located around Australia, with the vast majority run by boards comprised of Aboriginal people. Each year, they provide care to around 350,000 people.

Despite the efforts of these trailblazers, Aboriginal people are still missing out on primary and preventative health care, and this explains why we are failing as a nation to close the gap and achieve Aboriginal health equality.

And Australia is doing far worse than other countries that have a similar history of dispossession and colonisation. ”

Dr Paul Cleary is Oxfam Australia’s Indigenous policy and advocacy lead.

Professor Ian Ring AO is a distinguished expert in public health and epidemiology.

Read full article Here 

” The Government’s justifying more funding into mainstream services by arguing that ACCHS only service around half of the Indigenous population ignores the strong preference of Indigenous people for community-controlled health.

Most of the services are at maximum capacity and there are many places where due to location and distance it is simply not possible to attend an ACCHS – the answer is increased investment not less,”

To make matters worse, the government seems to be giving preference to the mainstream sector in order to address Aboriginal health needs says Pat Turner, the chief executive of the peak body NACCHO

1.2 National : In 2018–19, NACCHO and the RACGP are working on further initiatives and we want your input! Survey closes 15 February

Survey until 15 Feb 2019 : To participate in a short survey, please CLICK HERE

Please tell us your ideas for

-improving quality of 715 health checks

-clinical software -implementation of the National Guide

-culturally responsive healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

More info 

1.3 National : SRWF inaugural Pat Turner Scholarship awarded

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has welcomed the creation and awarding of the Pat Turner Scholarship Program by The Sir Roland Wilson foundation to six scholars. Pat Turner is the current CEO of NACCHO.

NACCHO Acting Chair Donnella Mills said, “the scholarship is named after Pat and will provide for Australian Public Service employees to complete full time post-graduate study at the Australian National University or Charles Darwin University. This honour for Pat is a testament to her years of hard work, resilience and advocacy for Indigenous peoples.”

Pat’s career as a public servant included many great achievements. She was the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the Deputy CEO of ATSIC at its inception. She was also responsible for setting up the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation when working in the Dept of Prime Minister & Cabinet.

After winning the Monash Chair of Australian Studies, Georgetown University she moved to Washington DC as Professor of Australian Studies.

She was the inaugural CEO of NITV and was appointed NACCHO Chief Executive Officer in April 2016.

The Sir Roland Wilson PhD scholarship program has recently been extended to now include the Patricia Turner Scholarship program.

The Foundation decided to name it after an influential, significant and impressive Indigenous woman. She was considered a trailblazer in the APS and her legacy of encouraging her staff to seek out and undertake educational opportunities was certainly something to be celebrated.

That Pat came from humble beginnings and had to repeatedly prove herself against a system of societal inequality, was somewhat reminiscent of Sir Roland Wilson’s beginnings. He was from a very working-class background and was awarded a scholarship to study at Oxford.

In August 2018 SRWF held selection interviews for the inaugural Pat Turner Scholarship. We had 17 APS agencies participating and actively promoting the opportunity to their staff. Each participating agency conducted its own internal selection process and 13 nominations were forwarded to us. The Selection committee shortlisted 11 applicants to interview.

NACCHO congratulates the recipients and wished them well in their chosen fields of studies.

The scholarships were awarded to:

Anthony Cowley Department of Social Services Master by Research CDU

Craig Leon Department of Human Services Master by Research ANU

Martin Dallen Department of Agriculture & Water Resources Master of Forestry ANU

Peter (PJ) Bligh Department of the Environment & Energy Master of Economic Policy ANU

Steve Munns Department of Human Services PhD ANU

Deborah Katona Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Master of Public Policy CDU

2. TAS : Deadly Ninja Warrior helps the Tasmanian FIAAI Tackling Smoking Team spread the message of the benefits of healthy choices.

JACK WILSON or as he’s known, The Deadly Ninja Warrior was in Tasmania during the month of January to help the FIAAI Tackling Smoking Team spread the message of the benefits of healthy choices.

Jack is mostly known for his athleticism and skills on the widely popular TV show Ninja Warrior but he is also passionate about educating and inspiring communities to be the best versions of themselves.

Jack started his Tasmanian journey down South at the Huon Valley PCYC sharing his story and engaging with the kids in a workout at a community event in partnership with the South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation.

The event also incorporated a large number of other community organisations and services, such as the Tasmania Fire Service, SES, Misha’s Mates, Quit Tasmania, Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service, The Heart Foundation plus many more.

Jack’s next appearance was at The Link Youth Health Service in Hobart City with 17 eager attendees.

Duncan Giblin, AOD worker stated ‘Jack was down to earth and engaged really well with the young people who attended. Jack encouraged people to seek help to address the barriers in their lives and to be persistent when things seemed hard.’

Leaving the youth inspired, Jack headed just around the corner to another youth group to spread the message even further. ‘It was a very engaging session’ said Simon, Team Leader at Youth Arts and Recreation Centre.

Simon continued to state that ‘The intimate audience of young people and youth workers listened curiously which sparked many questions to Jack ranging from his time on Australian Ninja Warrior to running the New York Marathon.”

Jack and the Tackling Smoking Team then headed north to visit a Detention Centre and the Launceston PCYC to further reiterate this important message and put them through their paces with a deadly ninja workout.

Ashley’s Detention Centre Program Coordinator told the tobacco action workers that “Jack’s visit had really inspired the young people. “

40 keen participants attended the event at the Launceston PCYC with one participant lucky enough to engage in a one on one training session with Jack after the event. Aaron Gornalle of Launceston now hopes to make it onto the next season of Australian Ninja Warrior.

The final hoorah landed Jack and the team on Flinders Island at the Furneaux Islands Festival where Jack took a huge portion of the Island’s youth through a large scale ninja obstacle course and discussed that in order to be at your peak, there is no room for unhealthy habits like smoking!

3.1 WA : AHCWA and the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) signed an MOU

This week , AHCWA and the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) signed an MOU with the key objective for both parties to adopt a shared and coordinated approach in seeking to address the health and wellbeing needs of the Aboriginal population in WA in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

(L-R): Learne Durrington, WAPHA CEO; Des Martin, AHCWA CEO; Dr Richard Choong, WAPHA Chairperson; and Vicki O’Donnell, AHCWA Chairperson

3.2 WA : AHCWA :  Do you want to be an Aboriginal Health Worker?

AHCWA can help you achieve this, places are still open for the 2019 intakes.

Becoming an Aboriginal Health Worker will allow you to work within the health care setting to assist your community to access and receive the appropriate care they require.

Contact adminmembersupport@ahcwa.org for more information.

4.1 NSW : Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service are active members of the “Welcome Here Project ” #LGBTIQ

Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service are active members of the “Welcome Here Project”.

What is this project, you ask, well the Welcome Here Project is the new Safe Place Project.

The Safe Place Project started in 1998 in response to high levels of street based violence directed at Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) people.

Local businesses signed up to become a ‘Safe Pace’ by putting a sticker in their shop front to let LGBTIQ community members know they could seek refuge if they were under the threat of violence.

Check out the deadly staff and their support for the LGBTIQA+ community!

4.2 NSW : Katungul ACCHO credited with changing the life of Mark Scott who was using heroin for 14 years, in prison on-and-off for 14 years and an alcoholic for 17 years

“My name is Mark Scott but my mates call me Baldy. I’m a Wiradjuri man and I’m pretty open with my past – if by sharing my story, I can help someone else then that’s a good thing.

I was using heroin for 14 years, in prison on-and-off for 14 years and an alcoholic for 17 years and I’m only 56.

I credit Katungul for the life I live today. Rohan Moreton (Katungul Drug and Alcohol Community Support Worker) convinced me to go up to Oolong House in Nowra (Oolong House provides residential treatment for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal men who wish to regain their lives and manage problems linked to alcohol and other drugs) and since I graduated from that program I’ve been drug and alcohol free.

I have my own place to live, I got my driver’s license, and I even present two hours a week on 2SeaFM community radio. What makes me most proud though is that I’m back in touch with my kids and grandkids.

I meet with Katungul’s AOD team every week in Eden because they keep me grounded and remind me of how far I’ve come. I own the word ‘no’ now”

5.1 VIC : VAHS ACCHO Coming soon: Aboriginal Seniors Games!!

Want to get out of the house or know a family member who does. Whilst getting active, meeting new people and most importantly having fun! Then come along and check it out. This is a program not to be missed.

When: Wednesday’s starting March 6th
Time: 10am-2pm
Where: Aborigines Advancement League (Thornbury)

Need help registering? Want to learn more about the games?
Come along to our registration and info day on the 27th Feb 12-2pm at VAHS Preston. Lunch provided!

Follow the link to register for the games! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/senior

Any questions contact:03  8459 0932

6. ACT : Winnunga ACCHO leads the way for independent review into the “health” of Canberra’s prison

In its submission to the Moss review, the Winnunga Aboriginal Health Care service said that the “bashing, care, treatment and death of Steven Freeman [had been] characterised by a lack of transparency, accountability and of secrecy

Recommendations from the independent Moss review “So Much Sadness In Our Lives” which examined the 2016 death in custody of indigenous detainee Steven Freeman.

The 2016 death in custody of Steven Freeman sharply focussed attention on Canberra’s prison “

An independent review into the “health” of Canberra’s prison, the first of its type for any Australian correctional centre, is inviting public submissions and commentary as part of an extensive report to be tabled in the ACT Assembly mid-year.

Independent prison review invites submissions from the Canberra public CREDIT:JAY CRONAN

Submissions are now open, and close on May 1.

The ACT Inspector of Correctional Services said that the “healthy prison review” welcomes input from all interested parties including corrections staff, community organisations, unions and the academic community.

Detainees at the prison are also invited to submit, anonymously if wished, with a stated preference by the inspectorate for all submissions to directly address one or more of the four “pillars” of the review framework.

These pillars include:

• prison safety;
• respect;
• purposeful activity; and
• rehabilitation and preparation for release.

Submissions should not raise complaints about the treatment or conduct of named individuals although anonymous case studies are permitted.

The inspectorate’s role, in reporting directly to the ACT Assembly, is to deliver an independent assessment of Canberra’s prison and services.

The role was established as a government response to the recommendations from the independent Moss review “So Much Sadness In Our Lives” which examined the 2016 death in custody of indigenous detainee Steven Freeman.

The 2016 death in custody of Steven Freeman sharply focussed attention on Canberra’s prison

The prison treatment of Freeman over a lengthy period prior to his death highlighted deficiencies in the prison’s systems, facilities and detainee treatment.

These issues included the mixing of remandees with sentenced prisoners, prisoner boredom, poor CCTV surveillance coverage, a lack of opportunities to learn a skill or trade, illicit drug use, and the delivery of health services.

In its submission to the Moss review, the Winnunga Aboriginal Health Care service said that the “bashing, care, treatment and death of Steven Freeman [had been] characterised by a lack of transparency, accountability and of secrecy”.

The prison’s inspector, Neil McAllister, is permitted to conduct unannounced visits to all correctional centres, including the cells underneath the ACT court buildings.

He works alongside, but separate from, other oversight mechanisms such as the ACT Human Rights Commission, the ACT Ombudsman, the Public Advocate and the prison’s official visitors.

Primarily, his review is seeking to ascertain whether vulnerable detainees at the prison, such as those with mental health issues or cognitive impairment, are being held safely, and whether staff are able to work in a “safe and supportive” environment.

It will also examine whether human rights and dignity are respected within the prison.

It will seek to determine whether detainees are “able, and expected to engage in activity that is likely to benefit them”.

Finally, it will assess whether prisoners have access to programs and services which will assist and prepare them for a life outside the prison.

Submissions can be addressed to the office of the inspector of correctional services at http://ics@act.gov.au.

7.1 QLD : Apunipima’s ACCHO Mossman Gorge Clinic shares success of ACCHO’s with James Cook University’s School of Medicine and The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine.

This week the team at Apunipima’s Mossman Gorge Clinic spent time with representatives from James Cook University’s School of Medicine and The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine.

The Canadian visitors have spent their time in Australia learning more about Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO).

Visiting a number of services across North Queensland which has given them a good insight.

“Health care for Indigenous people in Canada is delivered in a far more traditional way than what we have seen here. I am impressed by the level of consultation and how different disciplines work together to deliver the best results for the patient.” said Carlyn Seguin, who oversees the Global Health Certificate at the University of Saskatchewan.

Students studying the Global Health Certificate with the University of Saskatchewan have the opportunity to apply for an international placement as part of the program. Placements in Australia are facilitated by James Cook University’s School Of Medicine, a partnership that is now entering its fourth year.

“JCU’s partnership with the University of Saskatchewan provides a valuable opportunity to develop a collective global voice for Indigenous health needs, concerns and successes.” said Tarun Sen Gupta, Professor of Health Professional Education at James Cook University.

7.2 QLD : At ATSIHS ACCHO Brisbane get your Deadly Choices All Star Shirt

Just in…the limited edition @DeadlyChoices Choices All Stars shirts. Get in quick to get yours at your health check (715)!

Contact us Visit HERE 

8.1 NT : National Rural Health Alliance promotes Sunrise ACCHO clinic at Bullman

Positive signs of No Sugar (Zoro Coke and water ) in Indigenous communities but there is a long way to go. The link between excessive sugar levels in soft drinks and diabetes, chronic disease is well established. More effort is required in remote communities

8.2 NT: AMSANT and Danila Dilba ACCHO Darwin offer ideas on how to increase the retention of Aboriginal Health Workers

“In [these] clinics, the decisions are made at the local community level and the response is fairly quick.

In the government clinics, I’d imagine there’s a hierarchical structure and people get frustrated.

Training put strains on some hopeful AHWs, with more demands on them today to travel away from their base clinics — which are also often their home communities — to learn in Alice Springs or Darwin.

This puts a lot of strain on families, particularly families with young kids and single parents.

Once trainees graduate, many get burned out by the job, especially those working in remote locations.

Often did not get perks like cheap accommodation offered to police officers or doctors

The real challenge is to encourage and offer the proper incentives and renumeration to reward those who do want to undertake that particular work in rural and remote Northern Territory,” he said.

The salaries of Aboriginal health practitioners also needs to be reviewed.”

The chief executive of the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT, John Paterson, said the data might hint at how the workers felt more supported in Aboriginal-community-controlled health clinics.

FROM the ABC

The Northern Territory is the only place in the nation with falling numbers of health sector workers trained to bridge cultural gaps between First Nations and non-Indigenous people.

Key points:

• NT Health is losing Aboriginal Health Workers
• This may be partly due to difficult training requirements
• Others may be moving into health streams like nursing or medicine

Data obtained by the ABC shows the number of registered Aboriginal Health Workers in the NT fell almost 17 per cent over six years, even though almost a third of the Territory’s population is Indigenous.

All of those losses came from the public health sector, rather than private or Aboriginal-controlled health services.

‘I get to help my mob’

Kiara Peacock is one year into her traineeship as an Aboriginal Health Worker (AHW) at the Aboriginal-community-controlled health clinic, Danila Dilba.

The Larrakia woman used to work in HR but jumped at the chance when the traineeship position came up in Darwin.

“I get to help my mob,” Ms Peacock said.

“We have more of an understanding with the cultural side of things, with communicating to our patients and understanding them as well.”

That is incredibly important in a place like the Territory, which has the biggest proportion of Indigenous people per capita in Australia and many different language groups often not spoken by non-Indigenous doctors and nurses.

Another Danila Dilba trainee, Darren Braun, said he believed Indigenous patients felt more able to open up to him because of their shared culture and his grasp on the language Kriol.

“I find that in consults, if a doctor is doing consults first and we do it after, we get more information than what a doctor can do,” he said.

Yet Ms Peacock and Mr Braun are entering the profession at a time when the overall numbers of AHWs working in the Territory is dwindling.

Data obtained by the ABC shows the number of registered workers in the NT fell from more than 250 in 2012 to just 211 in 2018.

The data follows a recent study by the Australian National University that found the Territory was the only jurisdiction in the country where the numbers of these workers had declined in the past decade.

ANU researcher Alyson Wright found at a national level, retiring workers were not being replaced by younger workers.

The ABC crunched the data by ANU and – in terms of workers per Indigenous person – Victoria and South Australia now have the highest proportion of workers, with Queensland, Western Australia and the NT trailing on relatively similar levels.

What sector are the workers leaving?

Danila Dilba chief executive Olga Havnen said the numbers of AHWs at the clinic had been relatively stable over the last decade.

She said they had achieved that by prioritising traineeships.

Data shows numbers of AHW working in non-government clinics like Danila Dilba had slightly increased since 2012, with the overall decline in numbers all coming from the government sector, NT Health.

NT Health — which operates clinics in Darwin through to very remote Indigenous communities — has lost a staggering 61 of these workers since 2012.

The department did not respond to questions from the ABC about whether this is directly related to the closure of NT Health Clinics.

However, in a statement, a spokesperson said the loss was not due to redundancies.

“While our numbers are declining, we have not cut positions,” the spokesperson said.

He said there were many factors behind the decline, including changes to the training requirements for AHWs in the Territory and a very low completion rate by trainees.

This is something experienced by Ms Peacock — while she is based in Darwin, she has to travel an hour for her studies every month to Batchelor.

“If anything would stop me doing this job personally, it’s the location of where I study,” she said.

“Some of us are quite young. We’ve only just got our Ps. Some don’t even have a car themselves or transport. Some of us come from places like [the remote community] Maningrida.”

Is there a silver lining to the trend?

The NT Health spokesperson said the department was, “developing a workforce strategy that will have a clear career path with the appropriate support mechanisms to attract and retain” the workers.

“Including looking at ways Aboriginal students are supported while they are studying, often away from their country,” they said.

Yet despite the decline in numbers, the spokesperson said some of the workers leaving are moving into other health streams like nursing or medicine.

That is something Ms Havnen from Danila Dilba has noticed.

“So I’m hoping that what people is doing is taking slightly different career paths,” she said.

Mr Paterson agreed this was a positive step forward, but that the growth of Indigenous people into these other roles should not come at the loss of AHWs in the Territory.

“We’ve got to get that balance right,” he said.

9. SA:  Pika Wiya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation officially reopened the doors to the Davenport Health Clinic on Monday, January 14.