• Pharmacists in ACCHOs discussed at PSA conference
• Study investigates serious health issues mob face
• New era of cultural respect at UNE
• Dameyon Bonson talks Black Rainbow
• Role of physios in Reconciliation and health
• Sector Jobs
• Key Date – World Breastfeeding Week – 1–7 August

The image in the feature tile is of Pene Wood, Pharmacist, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative Health Services and Alice Nugent, Pharmacist Advisor, NACCHO. Image source: NACCHO ACCHO Medicines Management Guidelines V1.0 2022.

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is platform we use to showcase the important work being done in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on the work of NACCHO, NACCHO members and NACCHO affiliates.

We also share a curated selection of news stories that are of likely interest to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector, broadly.

Pharmacists in ACCHOs discussed at PSA conference

Over the weekend NACCHO’s Alice Nugent, Pharmacist Advisor, Medicines Policy and Program attended the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) national conference to participate in a panel discussion. The main focus of the panel discussion was the recent recommendation by the Australian Government Medical Services Advisory Committee to support public funding for pharmacists to work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services, as per the Integrating Pharmacists within Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to Improve Chronic Disease Management (IPAC Project) project model.

The role of pharmacists working within ACCHOs continues to evolve following the conclusion of the IPAC Project in 2020. The panel discussion included an update on progress since the end of the IPAC project; a sector update from NACCHO; reflection on the uptake and impact of the Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Training Course; and explore future opportunities for pharmacists working in this unique setting.

Speakers included pharmacist Chastina Heck, a Nywaigi Mamu Bidjara woman and Chair of the NACCHO/ PSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacy Practice Community of Specialty Interest (ATSIPP CSI). Chastina described opportunities to engage in lifelong cultural learning and ways to connect with the growing network of pharmacists passionate about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health sector.

By the end of the panel discussion, participants were able to:

• describe emerging opportunities for pharmacists to work within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care services
• recognise the role of NACCHO in identifying the quality use of medicines (QUM) needs of ACCHOs
• discuss ways in which pharmacists can progress their lifelong cultural learning

Study investigates serious health issues mob face

A landmark research project will place health workers in Indigenous communities across Queensland to study the long-term wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) and Mater Research Institute will identify 400 Indigenous families during pregnancy, and monitor the health and wellbeing of participating mothers, fathers and babies over five years.

Project lead Associate Professor Kym Rae from MRI-UQ said as well as improving the health of participants, the study would investigate the serious health issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, “Indigenous communities have a higher risk of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease – and babies face a higher risk of premature birth and low birth weight. This project will enable early diagnoses, so participants can decide on appropriate healthcare interventions. We also want to uncover the drivers of long-term health for Indigenous Australians and what influences the development of disease, so the results can inform long-term policy changes to benefit communities across the country.”

Dr Rae said the project would work with Indigenous organisations, health services and patients to identify priorities for research. “Indigenous communities can have limited access to GP’s, midwives, Aboriginal health workers, allied health staff and paediatricians. This initiative will allow families in need to access those healthcare services without going on lengthy waiting lists – which means better outcomes for children.”

To read the Mater News article Landmark First Peoples health study to roll out across Queensland in full click here.

New era of cultural respect at UNE

Three dedicated Lecturers in Indigenous Knowledges are helping to advance a culturally safe and inclusive culture at the University of New England (UNE). Ngarabul and Dharug woman Lynette Marlow, Biripi woman Caitlin Davey and Wadi Wadi woman Brittany Abraham – all current UNE scholars – are UNE’s inaugural Lecturers in Indigenous Knowledges.

Assisting First Nations students to navigate university is their primary focus, to help boost engagement, success and retention among the hundreds enrolled. However, the trio are having just as profound an impact on non-Indigenous students and staff as they work collaboratively to improve cultural awareness, decolonise course content and inform UNE policies.

Brittany, who studied a Bachelor of Nursing and Psychological Science at UNE before completing her Honours in Psychology, is now preparing to embark on a PhD. As a Lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges within UNE’s Faculty of Medicine and Health she is playing an important role in preparing students for clinical placements in Indigenous communities. “It’s vital that our medicine and health students are educated about how to work with Aboriginal people and understand how to be culturally-responsive practitioners,” Brittany said. “Our broader role within the university is to share culturally accurate and appropriate information regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, to reduce stereotypes and focus on the strengths of people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. This is important for everyone.”

To view the UNE Connect article New era of cutlural respect dawns in full click here.

Dameyon Bonson talks Black Rainbow

Last week, the results of the Rainbow Knowledge Survey were released, with more than 600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, aged between 14 and 25, and who also identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or asexual, surveyed as part of a national study. 

The findings showed that nearly one in five of the participants had tried to take their own life in the past year, and within our communities we talk a big game about supporting one another, but are we meeting the needs of every part of our communities when it comes to that? 

Earlier this morning on JOY Breakfast, hosts Rach and Dean welcomed Dameyon Bonson founder of Black Rainbow, a national volunteer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBQTIA+SB social enterprise to pursue positive health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBQTIA+SB community.

You can listen to the Joy Breakfast with Rach & Dean Dameyon Bonson talks Black Rainbow podcast episode here.

Role of physios in Reconciliation and health

The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) national conference IGNITE 2023 will be held in early October in Brisbane. During the conference delegates will have the opportunity to discuss the role of all physiotherapists in Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Lowitja Institute CEO Janine Mohamed will discuss racism and its impact on health and wellbeing and Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) CEO Donna Murray will provide an overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, focusing on social and cultural determinants of health. Following this, APA National President Scott Willis APAM will join Janine and Donna for a panel discussion and the session will close with an audience Q&A.

Kathryn Potter APAM, chair of the APA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Committee, says that physiotherapists have an important role to play in improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, both as clinicians and as respected members of the community. “The role of our profession extends beyond our clinic walls and all physiotherapists can engage in Reconciliation, whether through student placements, employment opportunities, procurement or engagement with the local community,” Kathryn said.

You can learn more about the IGNIT 2023 conference program and speakers by visiting the Ignite 2023 Physiotherapy Conference website here.

Sector Jobs

Sector Jobs – you can see sector job listings on the NACCHO website here.

Advertising Jobs – to advertise a job vacancy click here to go to the NACCHO website current job listings webpage. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a Post A Job form. You can complete this form with your job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.

Key Date – World Breastfeeding Week – 1–7 August 2023

During World Breastfeeding Week, 1–7 August 2023, NACCHO will be sharing a range information about breastfeeding as it relates to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their families.

Breastfeeding is recognised globally as the optimal method for feeding infants because it is linked to the child’s survival, growth and development. Breast milk is uniquely suited to the needs of newborns, providing nutrients that are readily absorbed by their digestive system and conferring both active and passive immunity for two years and beyond.

Australia’s infant feeding guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding of infants until around six months of age when solid foods are introduced and continued breastfeeding until the age of 12 months and beyond at the discretion of the mother and child. ‘Exclusive breastfeeding’ means that the infant receives only breast milk (including expressed milk) and medicines (including oral rehydration solutions, vitamins and minerals), but no infant formula or non-human milk. For some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants living in poor housing conditions, breastfeeding offers additional protection where hygiene practices required for sterilising bottles may not be easily achieved or maintained.

Breastfeeding brings a range of health benefits for both the infant and the mother. It enhances bonding and attachment between the mother and the baby, reduces infant deaths and protects children against illnesses and conditions, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), diarrhoea, respiratory infections, otitis media, overweight or obesity, diabetes and childhood leukaemia. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of hospitalisation for infants. Maternal health benefits include a reduction in the incidence of breast and ovarian cancer and reduced maternal depression.

You can read more about breastfeeding practices as a determinant of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health on the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website here.