• Food, most effective weapon against chronic disease
• Burn victims from the bush face financial stress
• Funding boost for Australian Cancer Plan
• Intimate partner violence affects children’s health
• Remote PHC Manuals project update
• KAMS Suicide Prevention Plan
• Call for abstracts – Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health Conference
• Job Alerts
• Save the Date

Food, most effective weapon against chronic disease

Dietitians Australia have released a response to the Draft National Preventive Health Strategy (NPHS). Dietitians Australia strongly agree with the visions of the draft NPHS: ‘To improve the health of all Australians at all stages of life, through early intervention, better information, targeting risk factors, and addressing the broader causes of poor health and wellbeing’ saying it is essential that all life stages are included and determinates of health outside an individual’s control are acknowledged and addressed.

The Dietitians Australia response specifically mentions the need for:

• improved cultural safety across the Australian health system to improve access to appropriate and responsive health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the prioritisation of care through ACCHOs
• health and health care information to be tailored and translated for all Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and people with disability
• prioritisation of partnership research and interventions in specific population groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• reviews of the Australian Dietary Guidelines, including Dietary Guidelines for Older Australians and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating

To view the Dietitians Australia response click here.

Burn victims from the bush face financial stress

Living away from community and country, Aboriginal families of children with severe burns also face critical financial stress to cover the associated costs of health care and treatment, a new study shows. A recent study by Flinders researchers Dr Courtney Ryder and Associate Professor Tamara Mackean found feelings of crisis were common in Aboriginal families with children suffering severe burns, with one family reporting skipping meals and others selling assets to reduce costs while in hospital.

The economic hardship was found to be worse in families who live in rural areas—some households traveling more than five hours for treatment, creating undue financial strain. Participants of the study included families from SA, NSW and QLD who are already part of the larger-Australia-wide Coolamon study on burns injuries in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

To view the full article click here.

Funding boost for Australian Cancer Plan

The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the Australian Government is investing an additional $6.7 million to support and improve outcomes for all Australians affected by cancer. In 2020, an estimated 150,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Australia, with around 50,000 Australians tragically passing away. As part of this investment; $4.7 million to support strengthening supportive and primary cancer care and genomic cancer clinical trials in Australia; national leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer control, and the development of an Optimal Care Pathway for Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs). $2 million to investigate children’s brain cancer, breast cancer, melanoma and lymphoma, and other important areas of cancer research through Cancer Australia’s Priority-driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS).

Minister Hunt said “While Australia is a world leader in cancer control and we have made great strides in improving cancer mortality and survival rates, cancer still has significant impacts on individuals, families, communities and the health system. We must continue to take action to address the multifaceted challenge of tackling cancer and in particular the disparities in outcomes among cancer types and many population groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

To view Minister Hunt’s media release click here.

Intimate partner violence affect’s children’s health

Childhood should be a happy and carefree time, but often it doesn’t work out that way. Children are exposed to all the stresses and strains that affect the families and communities in which they grow up. Recent research shows this can have lifelong implications for health with children exposed to intimate partner violence by age 10 being 2–3 times more likely to have a psychiatric diagnosis and/or emotional and behavioural difficulties and also 2–3 times more likely to have impaired language skills, sleep problems, elevated blood pressure and asthma.

Studies consistently show there are many barriers women have to overcome, including shame, fear of judgement, and cost and availability of health care and other support services in regional communities. For women whose first language isn’t English, and Aboriginal women, there are extra cultural, language and systems-level barriers. Systems-level barriers include the persistence of cultural stereotypes, limited availability of language services, and experiences of discrimination when seeking care and support.

To view The Conversation article in full click here.

Remote PHC Manuals project update

The Remote Primary Health Care Manuals are currently being reviewed and updated. Monthly updates are being provided to keep health services and other organisations up-to-date during the review process. You can find the April 2021 update here.

KAMS Suicide Prevention Plan consultations

The SEWB Team at KAMS, on behalf of the WA Mental Health Commission, would like to invite you to attend a consultation on the development of a regional suicide prevention plan for Aboriginal people in the Kimberley for the period of 2021–2025.

The Western Australian Suicide Prevention Framework 2021-2025 recommends the development of a WA Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Strategy, informed by dedicated regional plans prioritising culturally secure approaches to social and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention.

A draft of the Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Regional Plan 2021–2025 will undergo face to face consultations to ensure it is responsive to, and respectful of, the needs of Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region.

To view the consultation dates and community visits click here.

Call for abstracts – Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander health conference

The University of Melbourne, Department of Rural Health are pleased to advise that abstract submissions for their 6th Annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Conference are now open that address our conference theme ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing’.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Conference is an opportunity for sharing information and connecting people that are committed to reforming the practice and research of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and celebrates Aboriginal knowledge systems and strength-based approaches to improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal communities.

This is an opportunity to present evidence-based approaches, Aboriginal methods and models of practice, Aboriginal perspectives and contribution to health or community led solutions, underpinned by cultural theories to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing.

For further information and details of how to submit an abstract click here.

NSW – Sydney – Sydney Morning Herald

Indigenous Affairs Journalist x 1 FT (Identified) – Sydney

The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) is looking to hire an Indigenous journalist who will be responsible for putting Indigenous voices at the centre of the publication’s coverage of Indigenous issues influencing and impacting our world today.

The SMH looking to build upon the success of the project, which launched last year and resulted in:

• More than 60 pieces of independent journalism featuring across The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WA Today;
• Stunning longform feature pieces in our flagship magazine Good Weekend;
• Hugely popular five-episode podcast series, Relieving History;
• Overall digital content achieving almost 1.5 million page views.

The audience response and engagement highlights just how valuable this content is to our readers, who want The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age to be covering Indigenous Affairs regularly and engage with the issues affecting our First Nations people. The role, based in Sydney, will focus on coverage of and commentary on Indigenous issues including news, features and multimedia projects.

To view the job description and to express interest in this position click here.

Patient Experience Week 2021

Patient Experience Week (26–30 April) is a nationally recognized week designed to celebrate all those who provide excellent patient experience at all levels of an organisation.

Patient Experience Week is an initiative of the Beryl Institute inspired by members of the Institute community. The week provides a focused time for organisations to celebrate accomplishments, re-energise efforts and honour the people who impact patient experience every day. From nurses and physicians, to support staff and executive professionals, to patients, families and communities served, the Institute hopes to bring together healthcare organisations across the globe to observe Patient Experience Week.

For more information click here.