• Shepparton mob records zero cases
• Concern as COVID-19 reaches Gulargambone
• Mob urged to ‘Step Up’ for the jab
• Keeping mob strong during pandemic
• NT’s first Implementation Plan on Closing the Gap
• Literacy key to COVID response
• TGA updates on COVID-19 vaccine and treatment
• New process for job advertising
• Save the Date

Shepparton mob records zero cases

No First Nations people have yet tested positive in Shepparton’s growing cluster, while towns in the region are seeing encouraging vaccination rates.

While the city is home to Victoria’s largest Indigenous population outside Melbourne, no cases have been detected in Greater Shepparton’s Aboriginal community so far.

In the nearby rural town of Mooroopna where Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative Health and Wellbeing is located, Executive Manager Shannon Drake said she was pleased to see more than 506 people show up to get tested over the weekend.

“Those who’ve come through over the weekend are encouraging the rest of the mob to come in and are explaining how simple the process is,” Ms Drake said.

“It’s wonderful engagement from our community.”

You can read the article on the SBS NITV website.

Concern as COVID-19 reaches Gulargambone

The coronavirus has reached another remote community with a large Aboriginal population, with Gulargambone, recording a new case on Monday. The tiny western NSW town, when last measured, had a population of 400 people with almost half Indigenous.

Practice manager Steven McMahon at the local Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service said the virus could have a huge impact.

“In a community like Gulargambone where there is a lot of chronic disease, it was always going to be a concern. Now that we have a case, we’re watching to see what impact that has,” he told NITV News.

“There has been increased demand for vaccinations, which is good . . . I think that is going to be the key to getting back to some sort of normality.”

You can read the article on the SBS NITV website.

Mob urged to ‘Step Up’ for the jab

The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) along with its four founding Community Controlled Health Services hopes to a spark a reason for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 12 and over to get the COVID-19 vaccine with the launch of the I Stepped Up campaign and website.

The campaign features informative videos, answers to frequently asked questions and a slew of other resources.

“It is crucial to provide our community with the information and resources they need to feel comfortable about coming out to get vaccinated. Everyone has a different motivation for getting the COVID-19 vaccine, whether to protect their community, to keep family members safe or to make plans for the future, so we want to highlight the different reasons to resonate with more of our mob,” said IUIH CEO, Adrian Carson.

You can read the press release by IUIH here.
For more information and resources, visit the I Stepped Up website.
Follow the campaign on Facebook here.

Keeping mob strong during pandemic

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention. They have created a range of free posters on how people can stay healthy and strong during the coronavirus outbreak.

Visit the Gayaa Dhuwi website to download the posters along with a range of other helpful resources.

NT’s first Implementation Plan on Closing the Gap

The Territory Labor Government has released the first Closing the Gap NT Implementation Plan in partnership with APO NT and LGANT. This move follows the establishment of the historic National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which reflects a shared genuine and meaningful commitment to achieve equity for First Nations people. The NT Implementation Plan outlines key actions and the transformation of Government to work in partnership with Aboriginal people and organisations to achieve the outcomes and objectives of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

The Territory will take a phased approach to the implementation of Closing the Gap, in line with the timeframes set out in the National Agreement, and reflecting the unique circumstances of the Territory.

You can read the media release by Northern Territory Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Selena Uibo here.
To read the Closing the Gap NT Implementation Plan please visit the Northern Territory Government Office for Aboriginal Affairs website.

Literacy key to COVID response

Australians going into remote Indigenous communities to fight the pandemic need to understand that many can’t read, an inquiry has been warned.

“How do Aboriginal people make an informed decision about whether to get the vaccination or not when they can’t read the literature?” said Jack Beetson, executive director of Literacy for Life.

“One thing that we’ve learnt is that Indigenous people aren’t going to take something on just because a bunch of white fellas tell them it’s a good thing to do,” said Liberal MP Terry Young who is part of an inquiry into adult literacy and also serves on federal parliament’s Indigenous affairs committee.

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations chair Jane Halton said the vaccine flying squads need to work with Aboriginal medical services and Aboriginal people to make sure people turn up and get vaccinated.

You can read the story in The West Australian here.

TGA updates on COVID-19 vaccine and treatment

The AstraZeneca vaccine will now be called Vaxzevria after an application to rename it was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The vaccine is known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Canada, so there were concerns if the name was different in Australia it could lead to other countries not recognising the vaccine on vaccine passports when international travel resumes.

In a statement, the TGA said it hoped the change in name would make sure there would be no confusion in the future.

You can read more about the name change on the ABC News website.

The TGA has also granted provisional approval for a new COVID-19 treatment for use in Australia. Australians with COVID-19 who are at risk of hospitalisation will now have access to an additional antibody treatment. The sotrovimab treatment requires a single dose to be administered through an intravenous infusion in a health care facility and has been shown to reduce hospitalisation or death by 79 per cent in adults with mild to moderate COVID-19, who are at risk of developing severe COVID-19.

You can read more about the treatment on the Department of Health website.

New process for job advertising

NACCHO have introduced a new system for the advertising of job adverts via the NACCHO website and you can find the sector job listings here.

Click here to go to the NACCHO website where you can complete a form with job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

 

Round 2 RVTS 2022 training intake

Round 2 Applications for the 2022 training intake of the Remote Vocational Training Scheme

RVTS would like to encourage candidates to inquire now and be ready to apply for Round 2 Applications for the 2022 training intake of the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS).

Applications open on Monday 30 August to Sunday 12 September 2021.

Positions are available in both their AMS and Remote training streams.

In addition to the AMS stream MMM2-7 location eligibility, RVTS is also offering Targeted Recruitment Locations for 2022.

There are currently 5 Aboriginal Medical Services as approved Targeted Recruitment locations across NT, WA and VIC – you’ll find details of the Tennant Creek, Mutitjulu, Halls Creek & Kununurra, South Hedland, and Portland health services here.

For application information visit the RVTS website.