1.Download the NACCHO submission to Senate hearing Governments response to COVID-19 response.
2.The “Unsung” Impacts of COVID-19 on the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Western Australia. Download
3.Full transcript this weeks Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 – Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indigenous health.
4.Updated list of operational ACCHO GPRC’s as at June 4
5.Minister Ken Wyatt opens Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service’s Respiratory Clinic in Perth .
6. KAMS ACCHO rolls out first COVID-19 point of care testing site in Kimberley.
7.WA Journey to health and healing video.
8. Summary of national easing of restrictions plus roadmap to easing restrictions in Queensland remote communities.
9.Download the COVIDSafe app : What you need to know about the #COVIDSafe app and how the app will help protect our communities.
10. ACCHO’s support Black Lives Matter marches in Brisbane and Melbourne by providing masks and hand sanitiser
1.Download the NACCHO submission to Senate hearing Governments response to COVID-19 response.
The COVID-19 virus has exposed the vulnerability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to pandemics.
Generations of systemic and ongoing provision of inadequate housing and infrastructure, overcrowding, and social disadvantage, and the high prevalence of comorbidities among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people contribute to higher mortality in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Over 50% of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have one or more chronic diseases which places them at high risk of serious COVID-19 infection.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, these factors make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people one of the most vulnerable populations to the COVID-19 virus.
If COVID-19 gets into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Download the full submission and all recommendations HERE
The Australian Government, along with its counterparts in the States and Territories, has recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are highly vulnerable and that it would be catastrophic if the COVID-19 virus was to spread to communities. This same recognition did not occur with the 2009 H1N1 influenza epidemic, during which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples suffered a death rate of more than four times higher than non-indigenous Australians1,2.
The high level of collaboration by the National Cabinet has been instrumental in achieving the low number of COVID-19 cases among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, together with the leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across our health sector and Ms Pat Turner’s leadership on negotiating a new National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
2.The “Unsung” Impacts of COVID-19 on the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Western Australia. Download
Download full AHCWA COVID-19 submission HERE
COVID-19 AHCWA & WA ACCHS summary
3.Full transcript this weeks Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 – Australian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indigenous health.
Senator McCARTHY: Could I go to funding for mental health. The government has allocated $3 million for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people for mental health through PHNs. I want to understand the process in which the government provided funding for mental health and why it’s gone to PHNs.
Mr Matthews: First Assistant Secretary, Indigenous Health, Department of Health
We don’t have anyone here from our mental health area, but I think you’re referring to the recent announcement around mental health, which did include $3½ million for Indigenous mental health, which will flow through the Primary Health Networks. So that will be injected into there. A significant amount of the Indigenous mental health funding does run through the PHNs, so that is a strengthening of an existing framework; it injects further funding into that system. The details will be worked through with the PHNs for the PHNs to use flexibly in providing mental health support in the regions.
Senator McCARTHY: It’s going through the PHNs. Why is it that it didn’t it go through the ACCHOs?
Mr Matthews: As I said, that one is a decision—it’s just the way the funding has worked. A lot of the mental health funding does run through the PHNs currently. The mental health work for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people does work through PHNs now, so it is an additional injection into that existing process, noting that, obviously, a lot of what the PHNs do is to make arrangements with ACCHOs and Aboriginal community controlled health services locally. Quite a reasonable proportion of the funding does go to ACCHOs. Obviously, the sector has—for some time, I think—been looking to ask questions around those arrangements. That discussion is ongoing with government. But, at the moment, that is an additional injection into the existing funding.
Senator McCARTHY: Did funding for mental health in response to the bushfires go to the ACCHOs or to NACCHO?
Mr Matthews: There was funding, in the bushfire context, that did go directly to the Aboriginal community controlled sector. That was to support a limited number of areas that were directly affected by the bushfires. At the time, going through those Aboriginal community controlled health services was seen as the fastest way to provide support into those areas.
Senator McCARTHY: So you’re saying that, on one hand, you’re strengthening the system by going through PHNs when, in actual fact, you already had a precedent set by sending the mental health funding directly to the ACCHOs, yet you’re not doing it in this situation where it’s even faster for ACCHOs to be dealing directly with First Nations people as opposed to PHNs.
Mr Matthews: I think that, obviously, the majority of the mental health funding does run through the PHN system at the moment. There was some funding, in the bushfire context, provided directly through to the ACCHOs, but, as I said, it was a decision of government for the $3½ million to go into and through the PHN network, noting that a large amount of the money does find a way through to the Aboriginal community controlled sector through the PHNs. As I said, there is an ongoing discussion where the community controlled sector is seeking to discuss those arrangements more broadly. I’m sure that discussion will continue with government.
Download the full 3 hour transcript
Senate Hearing COVID19 and Indigenous Health
4.Updated list of operational ACCHO GPRC’s as at June 4
5. Minister Ken Wyatt opens Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service’s Respiratory Clinic in Perth .
The first Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service Respiratory Clinic opened Tuesday in the Derbarl Maddington Clinic, as part of the Australian Government’s $2.4 billion health package response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Derbarl provides holistic and culturally responsive health care to more than 10,000 active Aboriginal patients in the Perth metropolitan area.
Respiratory disease accounts for 8% of the burden of disease, and is the third leading cause of death for Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people are more than five times more likely to be hospitalised for influenza-related illnesses than non-Aboriginal people, with the highest rate of hospitalisation in children less than five years of age. Derbarl treats more than 1,500 patients each year with chronic respiratory illnesses alone.
The opening of the respiratory clinic is therefore fundamental to meeting the health needs of Aboriginal people.
Chairperson of Derbarl Yerrigan, Ms Francine Eades said “Considering these alarming statistics, I am pleased that Derbarl responded to the opportunity to provide this vital service to our patients and the wider community.
We have joined the growing number of Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services delivering GP-led respiratory clinics to our people.”
Download read full press release
DYHS Media Release – Maddington Respiratory Clinic Opening (1)
6.KAMS rolls out first COVID-19 point of care testing site in Kimberley.
KAMS CEO, Vicki O’Donnell, is excited to be the first service in the country to offer this testing capability.
“This will be a game changer for our communities. The fact that we will have an immediate test result will save us having to transport people to Broome, where they are separated from family and friends while they await their test result,” O’Donnell said.
“The new point of care tests will allow us to undertake contact tracing with that individual while they wait the 45 minutes for their test outcome.”
“If their result returns negative, they can be treated for the condition they presented at the clinic with and return home. If their result returns positive, we can make an immediate start on contacting anybody they have been in contact with.”
O’Donnell thanked the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Commonwealth Indigenous Health Division, with particular regard to Dr Lucas De Toca and his team. She also extended thanks to the Kirby Institute, whose support enabled the roll out of the point of care testing GeneXpert machines.
7.WA Journey to health and wellbeing video.
8. Summary of national easing of restrictions plus roadmap to easing restrictions in Queensland remote communities.
Updated June 5 Western Australia will join the Northern Territory in lifting travel restrictions across remote communities on Friday, 5 June 2020.
The Australian Government has taken this action in response to a request by the Deputy
Premier and Minister for Health and Mental Health of Western Australia, The Hon. Roger
Cook MLA, to lift the restrictions currently in place through the Emergency Determination
under the Biosecurity Act 2015.
See Minister Ken Wyatt press release
9.Download the COVIDSafe app : What you need to know about the #COVIDSafe app and how the app will help protect our communities.
10. ACCHO’s support Black Lives Matter marches in Brisbane and Melbourne by providing masks and hand sanitiser
For the Melbourne mob : Come see VAHS Staff between 12pm to 2pm, next to Sir Doug Nicholls and Lady Nicholls statue in Parliament Gardens to receive free face masks
