• Connection to community protects health
• Former ACCHO employee now nursing graduate
• Health and medical research priorities
• What does the election hold for health?
• Grinnin’ Up Mums & Bubs Program
• HIV&AIDS conference scholarships applications open
• Remote PHC Manuals April update
• Women’s Business Manual review sought
• New process for job advertising

Image in feature is of Central Land Council community engagement meeting from The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 June 2020.

Connection to community protects health

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) have published a paper examining Indigenous understandings of community, as well as understandings of what constitutes a healthy connection to community, and why this is protective for individuals, families, and the community itself. It reports key information about research, evaluation, program and policy initiatives, and identifies best-practice approaches and critical success factors for implementation. The introduction to the paper says:

The collective wellbeing of many Indigenous Australian communities has been chronically impaired by colonisation. Colonisation has undermined the fundamental principles that ‘held’ and guided people by their communities’ connections. This impact is seen worldwide as the world’s Indigenous peoples are vulnerable to suicide because of the impact of colonisation. Indigenous communities experience disproportionately high suicide rates, which reflect a broader pattern of disparate Indigenous suicide mortality across colonised nations. While important advances in government policy, resources, and efforts have been directed at reducing suicide among Indigenous Australians, suicide rates in Australia are increasing, as is the incidence of mental distress.

Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is an expression of traditional life-affirming Indigenous knowledge systems about wellbeing and is central to culturally safe and successful approaches to suicide prevention in Indigenous communities. SEWB comprises 7 interrelated domains: body, mind and emotions, family and kinship, community, culture, Country, and spirituality. SEWB is at its peak when there are harmonious and healthy connections across all the domains. Connection to community is a key domain in the SEWB model. The concept of community is fundamental to identity and concepts of self in Indigenous Australian cultures. It defines relationships, social roles and cultural norms and practices (lores), which are ‘a complex set of relational bonds and reciprocal obligations’ that differ across Australia’s cultural groups.

To view the AIHW’s paper Connection to Community click here.

Former ACCHO employee now nursing graduate

Bendigo celebrated its impressive cohort of graduates during a ceremony at Ulumbarra Theatre last week. The graduates successfully completed their training at TAFE over the past 12 months and were awarded with nationally accredited courses ranging from Certificate I through to advanced diplomas. Among the graduates was Bendigo TAFE Diploma of Nursing student Jade Heavyside.

Ms Heavyside, a mother of four and a proud Wemba Wemba woman, was thrilled to finish her diploma after putting it on hold for several years to raise a family. Fulfilling her nursing studies – and finally becoming a nurse – instilled a sense of pride in Ms Heavyside’s children and her community. “My children were my inspiration to complete my diploma,” she said. “I wanted to show them that by using your strength, will and determination, you can succeed in life.”

Ms Heavyside was also the successful recipient of the Puggy Hunter Scholarship for nursing students, which is awarded to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students studying an entry level health course. She worked with the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative undertaking children’s activities and sporting programs to provide additional support to her community. She is also part of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives. The accomplished nurse is also involved in the Weenthunga group for Indigenous nursing students, which helped motivate and support her on her journey to becoming a nurse.

Like many students over the past two years, Ms Heavyside has faced several challenges and difficulties completing her studies remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was hard trying to adapt to online learning at home, home schooling my children and ensuring we stayed safe through lockdowns and workplace restrictions,” she said. Through her dedication, persistence, hard work and the support of her teachers and peers, Ms Heavyside was able to successfully complete her studies to become a registered enrolled nurse. “It is such a relief and honour to have graduated,” she said. “It is a surreal feeling because the past two years of completing the diploma have been so challenging. “But I would do it all again.”

To view the Bendigo Advertiser article Jade Heavyside is one of Bendigo TAFE’s successful 2022 graduates in full click here.

Health and medical research priorities

The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences has released a statement on priorities for health and medical research ahead of the 2022 Federal Election. Cultivating a world-leading health and medical research sector and a world-class health system to protect the health of Australians against future pandemics, climate change and beyond. Since the pandemic began, health and medical research has been in the global spotlight. In Australia, the path through the pandemic has been heavily reliant on our world-class health and medical research sector, which has provided timely, reliable and effective solutions. These solutions did not just appear overnight. Past government investment has paid dividends. COVID-19 provides an example of how smart, strategic investment in health and medical research and innovation can provide the foundations to navigate Australia through significant health challenges.

In their statement the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences said “As we move beyond the pandemic, the next Australian government has a unique opportunity to maximise the impact of health and medical research, and mitigate major health challenges by investing in community driven, co-designed, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led research.”

To view the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences media release Statement ahead of the 2022 Federal Election click here.

What does the election hold for health?

The Consumers Health Forum (CHF) of Australia is holding a webinar from 12:30PM–1:30PM on Wednesday 27 April 2022 addressing the question What does the election hold for health? CHF CEO Leanne Wells will facilitate the webinar and presenters will include:

Jennifer Doggett: Fellow of the Centre for Policy Development and editor at Croakey Health Media

Anna Peeters: Professor of Epidemiology and Equity in Public Health, and Director of the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University.

Dr Saba Nabi: Based in Wagga Wagga, Saba has a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. She has been a member of Regional Advisory Council (RAC) member with Multicultural NSW, and represented consumers on Health Boards.

Harry Illes-Mann: A Young Leader with the Youth Health Forum and holds positions on other NSW committees as a consumer representative.

You can register to join CHF, health and policy experts, and consumers analyse the Liberal National Party and Labor Party’s health policy platforms and have your questions answered here.

Grinnin’ Up Mums & Bubs Program

A study has been undertaken to develop and pilot test the model of care, Grinnin’ Up Mums & Bubs, to train Aboriginal Health Workers to promote oral health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women. There was a high level of satisfaction with the components of the model of care among the participants of the study, who believed that the model could be integrated into practice. The training showed some improvement in oral health knowledge and confidence. The participants recommended strategies for discussing oral health with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women, and changes in public health dental policy to ensure that all women would be able to access affordable dental services through the referral pathway. Overall the findings suggest a high level of satisfaction with the model of care among the Aboriginal Health Workers. Further evaluation is needed to confirm the short and long-term impact of the model.

To view the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health article Aboriginal Health Workers Promoting Oral Health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women during Pregnancy: Development and Pilot Testing of the Grinnin’ Up Mums & Bubs Program click here.

HIV&AIDS conference scholarships applications open

Scholarship applications are now open to attend the 2022 Joint Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences!

To make the conference accessible to those who ordinarily may not be able to attend, a limited funding has been made available via the ASHM Scholarship Program for people to attend the 2022 Joint Australasian HIV&AIDS and Sexual Health Conferences.

This year’s Conferences will be held as a face-to-face event at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre, QLD. Scholarships will cover conference registration, and/or accommodation, and/or flights. There are scholarships available for the following:

• HIV Clinicians
• Nurses / Pharmacists
• Community

Scholarship Application Deadline: 11:59PM AEST Sunday 1 May 2022. To see the full criteria, as well as apply for your scholarship, please use this link.

Remote PHC Manuals April update

The Remote Primary Health Care Manuals (RPHCM) are currently being reviewed and updates. Monthly updates are provided to health services and other organisation to keep them up-to-date during the review process. The most recent RPHCM update advises that:

• the Standard Treatment Manual and Women’s Business Manuals are in final preparations for secondary review, which will start this month. If you would like to review some protocols as part of the secondary review process please email a completed expression of interest form from the RPHCM website using this email link.
• consultations with key stakeholders will occur concurrently with secondary reviews. You can contact the project team here if you are in a senior or governance role and would like to provide feedback on updated protocols.

New editions are due to publication November/December 2022. You can view the Remote PHC Manuals April 2022 Update here.

Women’s Business Manual review sought

The Remote Primary Health Care Manuals Standard Treatment Manual and Minymaku Kutju Tjukurpa (Women’s Business Manual) have now been updated to reflect the recommended changes arising from primary review. The RPHCM project team would like to invite key stakeholders to review the updated protocols before they are finalised for publication.

The stakeholder consultation period seeks feedback to confirm that the content of the updated protocols are relevant and applicable to remote health practice. Please email using this link with the names of any protocols that you would like to review. Feedback on the protocols should be clearly and concisely outlined in an email returned to this email address by close of business on Friday the 6 May 2022. All feedback will be presented to the RPHCM editorial committee for consideration.

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.