“ While we have made significant progress over the last decade, we still have much more to do to achieve full eye health equity.
Fred was passionate about partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and involving them in health programs that affected them.
This is a huge focus for us over the next five years, to empower Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services by giving them the support and tools they need to provide their own quality eye health services.
Last year, The Fred Hollows Foundation contributed to more than 1,000 cataract surgeries for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and doubled the number of cataract surgeries in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory.
We thank the Australian Government and our partners for supporting our work and we ask that they join in our efforts to close the gap on eye health for good.”
Launching the strategy on The Foundation’s 27th Anniversary, Indigenous Australia Program Manager Shaun Tatipata pictured above said Australia’s First Peoples are three times more likely to go blind than other Australians and 12 times more likely to have cataract, the world’s leading cause of blindness
The launch was held at the Aboriginal Medical Service in Sydney’s Redfern, to which Fred donated resources when it was first established.
Read over 50 Aboriginal Eye Health articles published by NACCHO over past 7 years
See the Indigenous Australia Program Five Year Country Strategy here: Or Download
Indigenous-Australia-Strategy-2020-2024
The Fred Hollows Foundation pledges its biggest ever investment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health
The Fred Hollows Foundation today committed its biggest ever investment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health with the launch of its new Indigenous Australia Program Five Year Country Strategy.
The strategy will see The Foundation invest at least $40 million over the next five years to closing the eye health gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Dignitaries present included Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and Gabi Hollows AO, Founding Director of The Foundation.
The Foundation’s CEO Ian Wishart said Fred’s pioneering spirit was very much alive in the new Country Strategy, which seeks to identify and test better ways to address challenges.
“Empowerment is at the heart of what we do, and today is about empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by giving their eye health an ambitious way forward,” Mr Wishart said.
See the Indigenous Australia Program Five Year Country Strategy here: [link]
For more resources, including The Foundation’s Spring Appeal video featuring Sally from Katherine, see: https://www.hollows.org/au/spring-appeal
Highlights of the new Indigenous Australia Program Five Year Country Strategy:
The Fred Hollows Foundation’s new Indigenous Australia Program Five Year Country Strategy is underpinned by five goals and five objectives.
Goals
- Goal 1: Effective cataract treatment is accessible to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
- Goal 2: Trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, is eliminated from Australia.
- Goal 3: Effective refractive error prevention and treatment is accessible to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
- Goal 4: Effective and timely treatment for diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions is accessible to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Objectives
- Strengthen regional eye health services.
- Train and strengthen the eye health workforce.
- Strengthen eye care in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.
- Finally eliminate trachoma.
- Ensure governments adopt The Strong Eyes, Strong communities
Extra Resources and Save a date Webinar from Healthinfonet
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, in collaboration with The Fred Hollows Foundation, has launched a series of knowledge exchange tools about eye screening and care.
These new resources provide a broad overview of the screening services available for eye health and outline the roles of various professionals such as regional eye health coordinators, optometrists and ophthalmologists.
Each product has been designed as a useful tool for health workers and practitioners working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to assist in understanding the eye care journey.
This series of knowledge exchange products includes:
- a fact sheet for a comprehensive summary of eye screening and care (four pages)
- an in brief fact sheet for quick, easy-to-digest bites of information (one page)
- a short animated video offering educational information in an audio-visual format.
To complement the release of these eye health resources, the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet and The Fred Hollows Foundation will host a webinar featuring a special guest presenter Dr. Kristopher Rallah-Baker, Australia’s first Indigenous ophthalmologist.
The webinar, titled ‘Eye screening and care: treatment pathways and professional roles along that pathway’, will take place on at 12:00pm AEST on Wednesday 25 September 2019 and will include a Q & A session with Dr Rallah-Baker.
Participants are invited to register their interest prior to the event with the webinar organiser
Webinar Organiser
Tamara Swann
Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet
Ph: (08) 6304 6158
Email: t.swann@ecu.edu.au