Category Aboriginal health in the news

Nov 2 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Shingles vaccine now free for Indigenous people over 50

The image in the feature tile is from Unsplash.

The NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News is a 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.

Shingles vaccine now free for Indigenous people over 50

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 50 can now get the shingles vaccine for free, as of Wednesday 1 November. Immunocompromised adults and all people over the age of 65 will also be eligible for the vaccine. The new, free vaccine provides around 10 years’ worth of protection from shingles and previously costed up to $560.

On NITV and SBS World News, NACCHO Medical Advisor Dr Megan Campbell said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults are more likely to get shingles and are more likely to get it at a younger age.

“The new vaccine is safer and more effective than the last one we had,” she said.

“And more importantly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can get a free two-dose course from the age of 50.”

Watch it on NITV here and on SBS World News here.

Image source: ABC News.

Black Rainbow on preventing Indigenous LGBTQIA+SB suicide

Black Rainbow Founder, Dameyon Bonson spoke at the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference session LGBTQIA+SB and Inclusivity in ACCHOs on how the National Indigenous LGBTQIA+SB Volunteer Suicide Prevention Organisation came to be, and why it is needed. Mr Bonson shared a story of how he saw a funeral notice for a 12-year-old Aboriginal boy who died by suicide. Mr Bonson explained. “I said to myself ‘what if this young fella was gay? Or questioning?’ What services could he look at and go ‘I can go there, and I’ll feel comfortable and safe there.’” Now, Black Rainbow does just that – provides a safe space to pursue positive health and wellbeing for the LGBTQIA+SB Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, while acknowledging that racism and homophobia are significant determinants of health.

“It [Black Rainbow] was created so that if any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, no-binary, sistergirl, or brotherboy felt lonely or isolated, they could get online and see themselves reflected positively,” Mr Bonson said.

In its early days, Black Rainbow leveraged social media to gain traction, claiming the space where the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQI+SB people had predominately been within sexual health conversations. Expanding the conversation, Mr Bonson used Twitter to “champion the work that needed top be done and raise money.”

“I thought I’d given the organisations enough time to do what you’re funded to do, and you haven’t done it.

“Well guess what? The black fellas gonna do it…the black gay one’s gonna do it,” he said.

Learn more about Black Rainbow here.

If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well, or have increased anxiety and depression you can seek immediate help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from:

Black Rainbow Founder Dameyon Bonson speaking at the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference.

QAIHC urges Indigenous-led reform on deaths in custody

Following the death of 16-year-old Aboriginal boy Cleveland Dodd in the Unit 18 youth detention facility at Perth’s adult Casuarina Prison, the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) has renewed its call for urgent prison reform to improve the health, well-being and safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. QAIHC urged immediate action to address the lack of cultural safety faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in custody in Queensland, stressing that “without immediate action to address systemic racism within the criminal justice system, similar tragedies will continue to occur”, in a statement issued Wednesday.

QAIHC noted it was encouraged by recent remarks by federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler at the NACCHO Members Conference in Perth, where he committed his department to reviewing access and cultural appropriateness of healthcare to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in custody, but warned that a review without the input and involvement of Australia’s Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation sector would be incomplete and ineffective.

“ACCHOs understand the unique needs, challenges, and solutions our communities require, and it is critical that the ACCHO sector is involved in a review and in the ongoing delivery of healthcare to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in custody,” said QAIHC CEO Cleveland Fagen.

“We must increase access to culturally safe, effective, and relevant care and support within the justice system, in alignment with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.”

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Brisbane youth detention centre. Image: Darren England (AAP).

VACCHO supports decriminalisation of public drunkenness

VIC will decriminalise public drunkenness on November 7, in a decision that has long been lauded by Indigenous and health experts. The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) welcomed the proposed abolishment of the law. VACCHO CEO, and Gunditjmara woman, Aunty Jill Gallagher said, “The abolition of Public Drunkenness laws was a key recommendation of the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody because of its dangerous and discriminatory impact.”

Ms Gallagher told the National Indigenous Times, “The repeal of these laws is vital for the betterment of the health and safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria, and indeed all Victorians.”

The role of groups like cohealth will focus on supporting intoxicated people in a wide range of areas. Street based health teams, which will include a nurse and an alcohol/drug worker, can help people with as little a task as charging their phone to sitting with them whilst they wait to get home.

The last port of call would be transporting them to a sobering centre – such as the new alcohol sobering centre on Cambridge Street (not yet open) – which would need the person’s consent. Other options still include care at a medical facility if they are too intoxicated to give consent or are a danger to themselves to the community.

Read the full article here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

International Indigenous Disability Research Conference

An International Indigenous Disability Research Conference, a first of its kind, is set to be held at the University of Syndey this month. The symposium aims to explore and bring to light what the international platform of Indigenous disability research looks like under the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The objective is to develop a strategy for the university research centres in how they engage in the Indigenous research space on a global scale.

The symposium will address three questions:

  • What does the international disability research archive look like on a global scale?
  • How can scholars respect and empower Indigenous people with disability in research and research translation that is culturally respectful for Indigenous people?
  • What does decolonization/Indigenisation mean in disability research?

The event is being hosted by the Centre of Disability Research and Policy and the University of Syndey. It will also be supported by the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and the University Disability Inclusion Action Plan. It will be held on November 22 and November 23 at the Susan Wakil Health Building on the Camperdown campus.

Register here.

‘Welcome Baby to Bourke’ recognised

Welcome Baby to Bourke has won the Secretary’s Award at the 25th annual NSW Health Awards. With no operating birthing unit in Bourke, expectant mothers need to travel to Dubbo to deliver their babies. Welcome Baby to Bourke is an initiative to welcome babies born away from Country back into the region. Pat Canty, WNSWLHD Manager Aboriginal Health Partnerships and Community Engagement in the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Directorate, said this award belongs to all our babies and parents of the Bourke Community.

“Thank you for the support we have received from our community and partners. Without them it wouldn’t have been possible. To be recognised by this prestigious award is a dream come true. This event is so important to the babies and our families in the community. This is something very special,” Mrs Canty said.

Read more here.

Image source: ABC News.

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.

Sep 25 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: 125 health organisations pledge support for Voice

The image in the feature tile is of Health organisations from across the country which have signed a statement supporting the Voice to Parliament. Image by ABC News.

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.

More than 50 health organisations pledge support for Voice

NACCHO is one of 125 health organisations across the country pledging their support for the Voice to Parliament with an open letter to the Australian public. The open letter in support of the Voice to Parliament follows a survey of 1,600 health workers by the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Orgainsation (VACCHO) which found the majority of health care workers believe Indigenous health and wellbeing outcomes will improve if those communities are more involved in Aboriginal health policy.

The open letter states: We speak as leading health and medical organisations who spend our professional lives dedicated to caring for all Australians.

We have considered carefully both the case for and the case against the proposed Voice to Parliament.

We confidently believe that the proposed Voice will enhance government decision making about matters that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ultimately improving health outcomes.

As health professionals, we witness firsthand the disparity in health outcomes between non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Despite the best efforts of successive governments at all levels, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to have an average life expectancy gap 8.2 years compared to other Australians. The Voice is an opportunity for us to make a practical difference, to ensure the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians does not continue to widen.

We encourage all Australian to actively consider the possible health and wellbeing benefits that the Voice to Parliament would have for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Just as a good clinician listens to their patient, a Voice to Parliament is about listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Read more here.

An Open Letter to the Australian Public: A Voice to Parliament will improve health outcomes.

Why the Voice to Parliament will help close the gap.

In an edited extract from Thomas Mayo and Kerry O’Brien’s The Voice to Parliament Handbook, Professor Marcia Langton and Professor Fiona Stanley explain why Australia should vote yes in the upcoming referendum. The extract states that there is clear evidence mainstream government services have, for decades, failed to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. Most state, territory and federal government services for Indigenous Australians have been very expensive, based on inappropriate data, and ignorant of vital Aboriginal knowledge. Programs that are initiated and implemented by Aboriginal experts, or in close collaboration with them, are trusted and used, are based on local personal/geographic/social circumstances about which Aboriginal experts are full informed and enhance the self-esteem and mental health of the community.

Examples include Aboriginal birthing, the Youth Justice System, and the First Nations COVID response; these show that when services are developed with Indigenous knowledge, they are extremely effective. For example, all colonised, Indigenous populations internationally are at very high risk from pandemics such as COVID. We, therefore, expected very high infection, hospitalisations, and death rates from COVID in Aboriginal populations. And yet, nationwide, Aboriginal populations had six times fewer cases than non-Indigenous groups.

This extraordinary, and unexpected outcome was due to the Aboriginal leadership taking control of all activities for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, as well as housing, social and medical support. From NACCHO down to state/territory, regional and remote areas, Aboriginal services demanded and received all the resources they needed to implement this success. They had a Voice that was acted upon.

The evidence is clear. Having a Voice will make a huge difference to improving First Nations outcomes.

Read more here.

Professor Fiona Stanley. Image source: Junkee.

Voting yes will provide a stronger platform to improve health.

Palawa man, and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Tasmania Professor Ian Anderson says Indigenous Australians need a ‘stronger platform’ to improve health and wellbeing. Explaining why he will be voting ‘Yes’ on October 14, Professor Anderson writes: An Indigenous Voice to Parliament does not guarantee outcomes, but it does provide a stronger platform through which governments can work more effectively with Indigenous Australian at a regional and national level.

Governments that don’t listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice can make significant errors in policy or legislation. Professor Anderson draws an example from 2022 where the Stronger Futures agreement between the Commonwealth and NT governments ended. This ended a regime of alcohol restrictions in towns such as Alice Springs. For over a year, Aboriginal community leaders and experts warned of the need for urgent action to maintain these alcohol restrictions, fearing a rise in crime and a decrease in community safety. Neither government took on advice from Indigenous leaders and a year later, the restrictions were lifted, and Alice Springs was in crisis.

“There is more to the crisis in Alice Springs than alcohol supply. It requires a focus on a range of issues such as access to domestic violence services or addressing poverty and improving educational outcomes. However, to see change, it is important to continue to engage with the voices of Indigenous people on the ground and Indigenous experts in this area of public health,” said Professor Anderson.

Read the full article here.

Image source: Shutterstock.

Dr Charles Perkins Oration 2023

The Dr Charles Perkins Oration celebrates Dr Charles Perkins life-long dedication to achieving justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Oration and Memorial Prize. Keynote speaker, and Dr Charles Perkins’s daughter, Rachel Perkins reflected on her father’s leadership, as well as the upcoming referendum.

“As we stand on the brink of referendum in this country, it presents us with an extraordinary opportunity to bind this nation together with its first people, our greatest ever handshake, if you like, placed in the Australian Constitution.

“And it’s now, at this time, that I miss him most acutely. I miss his leadership, his fearlessness, his ability to reach out and touch the Australian people with his words.”

Rachel Perkins talked about the lessons which can be learned from her father’s leadership.

“…leadership that is earned, by being amongst and working with our people. It is not bestowed by a party preselection process, or the media spotlight. Leadership in our community is forged sitting in the dirt, listening to our people, working towards consensus, building organistions, building people’s capacity, talking with people, protesting on the streets. And on the inside, within the corridors of power, negotiating with grace and when that fails, going against all the odds, rejecting the status quo, paying the price of speaking truth to power. And still, when you are rejected and you have lost everything, having no regrets. That is what makes a great Indigenous leader.”

Watch the full Dr Charles Perkins Oration 2023 here.

Improving cultural comfort in pregnancy and early motherhood

Indigenous health practitioner Lisa McGrady says she could not ignore the lack of engagement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums-to-be in mainstream healthcare services during their pregnancy in the Bundaberg and North Burnett region. She said there are many reasons mums are not engaging in their healthcare, “with barriers like lack of transport, a lack of understanding on the importance and not having confidence to speak up and advocate for themselves in a clinical situation.”

Ms McGrady works at the Indigenous Wellbeing Centre which runs a midwifery program, offering monthly antenatal check-ups, post-birth weigh-ins, and breastfeeding checks. To help engage mums-to-be in the midwifery program the team has but together care bags with donated products to help mums care for bubs and themselves. Ms McGrady said she wanted to provide these bags as a thank you to mums for engaging in the program and ensuring they had what they needed when going to hospital to give birth.

Read more here.

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner. Image source: Burnett Today.

Time in the gym changing lives for young men in Mount Isa

A combination of time on Country and time in the gym is guiding young Aboriginal men in Mount Isa away from crime, connecting them with culture, and improving their mental and physical health. Brodie Germaine’s idea to open the gym in 2022 came after the death of his best friend’s father.

“He would ring me up 24/7 in really bad times,” Mr Germaine said.

“For me, I didn’t want to watch another mate lost to suicide, I wanted to help one of my brothers out and so from there I built a gym in my shed.”

Now, in his own gym Mr Germaine is working with the Department of Youth Justice, Employment, Small Business and Training, targeting kids at high risk of engaging in crime.

“The feeling I get when I help these young fellas in the community, them just turning up to the gym, turning up on a Saturday morning, where we take them out bush for the day, that’s a win for me,” he said.

Read the full article here.

Image source: ABC North West Queensland.

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.

Jun 29 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Balgo patients to receive dialysis on Country

The image in the feature tile is of dialysis patients in a Purple House centre in Newman.

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.

Balgo patients to receive dialysis on Country

Balgo WA is one of Australia’s most isolated communities. Locals needing life-saving dialysis treatment must leave their Country for towns more than 10 hours away to receive care. Purple House has plans to open a local service including a four-chair nurse-assisted hemodialysis unit operating six days a week by 2024. CEO of Purple House, Sarah Brown AM says keeping people on Country is essential, “It’s about ensuring that senior community members are home on Country for important cultural business to teach the younger generations and keep culture strong.”

Balgo man Eric Moora currently lives in Perth, where his partner receives treatment for type 2 diabetes. Without access to care on Country, Eric has flown three hours from Perth to Kununurra and then driven eight hours to get to Balgo to take part in cultural practices, “We have to go right back to the bush, back to my Country, you know, to eat,” he said. Eric also has diabetes but doesn’t need dialysis; he sees bush tucker as a way to stay healthy and avoid highly processed food contributing to his condition.

“My people eat wrong thing, you know, sugar. We need to stop the Coke, making people sick from the Coke, diabetes, all that,” Eric said.With Elders receiving life-saving treatment away from Country, Eric fears younger generations will go without the cultural knowledge that was passed onto him from Elders, “Today has changed now because we got no old people.I want my people to come back home,” he said. The dialysis unit will be one of six in remote communities, in a

To read the full ABC article Diabetes patients in remote Balgo will soon be able to receive dialysis on country here.

Eric Moora. Photo: Elsa Silbertstein. Image source: ABC News.

2023 NAIDOC Elder Awards finalists

The National NAIDOC Awards are an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who go above and beyond to contribute and fight for the preservation of their culture and community. In line with the 2023 NAIDOC Week theme ‘For Our Elders,’ the Elder Award celebrates an Elder whose dedication to people, culture and future generations has been lifelong and has left an indelible impact in their communities.

Proud Ngambri (Kamberri) Wallabalooa (Ngunnawal) and Wiradyuri Elder, Aunty Dr Matilda House-Williams is a Female Elder Award nominee for her deep roots in advocacy and activism. Aunty Matilda has been involved in Indigenous Affairs since 1963, and has played key roles in establishing Winnunga, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, the Aboriginal Legal Service, and alongise her brothers, founding the Ngambri Land Council.

The awards ceremony will kick off on Saturday 1  July and will be broadcast on NITV from 7.30pm AEST. To read the NITV article, including more about the finalists click here.

Aunty Dr Matilda House-Williams. Photo: Blacklock Media. Source: NITV.

Changing conversations about lung cancer

Researchers at the University of Sydney say it is time to remove the stigma around lung cancer and to disrupt assumptions about it being solely attributable to someone’s decision to smoke. A range of other factors are at play, with lung cancer disproportionately affecting people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, those in regional and rural areas, and those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds. While public health campaigns have successfully raised awareness about the dangers of smoking, they have been accompanied by growing stigma around lung cancer. For example, a study by the Global Lung Cancer Coalition found that 28% of Australians admit they have less sympathy for lung cancer sufferers than those with other forms of cancer.

Patients undergoing lung cancer treatment have spoken out about the stigma they face alongside managing their illness and treatment. One patient said, “It’s the first time I’ve really been aware of the sort of shame attached to an illness.” Patient support groups, professional associations and peak bodies are all in agreement that we need to rethink and modernise our understanding and approach to lung cancer, smoking and stigma.

To read the full Croakey Health Media article Identifying some opportunities to change conversations about lung cancer click here. 

Image: CDC Unsplash. Source: Croakey Health Media.

New research on bush tucker nutrition

Rich in essential nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, and minerals, yams are gaining attention in the food industry. In a research project with the University of Queensland, PhD candidate Fawale Samson Olumide is studying Australian yams, which were a vital food for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rainforests along the east coast. The project aims to bridge the gap between Indigenous knowledge and Western science and report on the nutritional and health benefits of the bush tucker staple.

The Yidinji community in Far North Queensland is collaborating on the project, alongside community Elder Professor Henrietta Marrie from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. Professor Marrie said, “There is so much work we need to do to record Indigenous knowledge about the food and its use, to pass on to our younger generations.”

To read the full article click here.

Source: Food Processing.

Unpaid work during NAIDOC WEEK

With NAIDOC Week just around the corner, there is a surge in expectations for extra labour from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in workplaces. This includes the planning and organising of cultural events and experiences, which is rarely reflected in their job description. The Make us Count report found these expectations are not limited to events like NAIDOC Week. Reflecting on the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in workplaces within the Victoria public sector, female participants reported uncompensated labour is a burden.

One participant said, “The value of [Aboriginal cultural knowledge] is only when I organise NAIDOC or Reconciliation Week celebrations. The worst part is that it is up to me to drive recognition of these important events and for the rest of the year, culture and I are forgotten.”

The Healing Foundation describes ‘cultural load’ as an accumulative trauma and stress experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are navigating systemic adversity in their lives while they are also trying to succeed in their careers. The report found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women feel overworked and undervalued in the workplace, and face discrimination and a systemic barrier to career progression. One participant said, “Unless you’re always performing at 150% or more, people don’t see you.”

Findings from the report demonstrate an urgent need for workplaces to take action to address racism and misogyny. This includes unpaid labour, short-term contracts, and workplace harassment and violence.

“I just want to be able to be in a job where I can actually do the job and then still have the capacity to give back to the community,” said a participant.

To read the full The Conversation article During NAIDOC Week, many Indigenous women are assigned unpaid work. New research shows how prevalent this is in the workplace click here. Read the Make Us Count report here.

Source: Analysis & Policy Observatory.

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.

Jun 20 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Australians to vote on the Voice within six months

The image in the feature tile is of the Upper House as the legislation on the Indigenous Voice referendum question passed federal parliament, a development that moves the nation closer to a referendum date being determined. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch. 

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.

Australians to vote on the Voice within six months

Australians will officially vote on the Voice to Parliament within the next six months, after the bill to trigger the referendum passed the Senate 52 votes to 19, yesterday. Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said the development brought Australia “one step closer” to acknowledging Indigenous Australians in the Constitution and making a “great country even greater.”

“For too long, Indigenous Australians have been consistently worse off than non-Indigenous Australians…It’s a broken system. And the Voice is our best chance of fixing it, because when we listen to people on the ground and consult with locals, they make better decisions and achieve better outcomes,” Minister Burney said.

In an interview with ABC’s Dan Bouchier on One Plus One – The Elders, NACCHO CEO, Pat Turner talked about the upcoming referendum and encouraged Australians to support the Yes Vote later this year.

To read the SBS News article ‘It’s on’: Senate vote triggers Voice referendum within the next six months click here. You can also watch Pat Turner on ABC’s One Plus One – The Elders here.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney poses for a photo with 40 members of Jawun at Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas.

Improving eye health

AH&MRC and the National Expert Group in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health (NEGATSIEH) co-hosted the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference at the end of last month. With a successful turnout, the conference aimed to build on the collective work of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector to improve eye health access outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

The conference theme ‘Our Vision in Our Hands: Finding our Voice’ sought to highlight emerging and future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in the sector, as well as resonating the strength and values of the longstanding movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination in health, and the broader national movement for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament.

NACCHO Acting Director, Programs, Anne-Marie Banfield was the Conference Co-Chair and introduced the newly appointed First Nations Eye Health Alliance (FNEHA) board and facilitated a panel discussion about the aims of the alliance. A key focus of FNEHA is strengthening the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce by providing professional support and networking. Collaboration was another key component of the conference, with over 240 delegates from all states and territories, including representatives from ACCHOs, eye care clinicians, policy makers, researchers, non-government organisations, hospitals, professional peak bodies and government departments from across the country.

Learn more about the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference here.

2023 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference. Source: AH&MRC.

Culturally safe breast cancer screening

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists have a chance to improve cultural safety during breast cancer screenings. BreastScreen Victoria is seeking to commission an Indigenous artist to create an original artwork for a breast cancer screening shawl. The aim of the shawl is to help women feel culturally safe, comfortable, and familiar during the breast cancer screening process. The selected artist will also have their work featured on postcards, posters, as well as shared on social media to raise awareness for breast cancer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

The brief for the artwork is to reflect women’s business and is intended to represent a story of health and wellbeing, that includes breast screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged over 40.

To apply, visit the BreastScreen Victoria website here. Submissions close this week – Thursday 22 June 2023.

Victorian program helping people avoid homelessness forced to close

According to Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV), more than 3,000 Victorian Aboriginal households living in public housing find themselves without culturally safe support to help manage their tenancies in times of crisis. An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness service providing culturally safe and free social housing support has closed its doors after a successful pilot supporting more than 100 Indigenous people last year. Funded by Homes Victoria, the 12-month pilot program was delivered by the Victorian Public Tenants Association, whose chief executive, Katelyn Butters is urging the government to “reconsider” the pre-budget submission which was unsuccessful.

“We believe this is a substantial missed opportunity to help our First Nations communities’ access and sustain affordable long-term homes,” Ms Butters said.

Over the past 12 months Ms Butters’ team helped provide a safe gateway for First Nations people who had previously felt discriminated against in the housing process. AHV chief executive Darren Smith said AHV is also disappointed the program had been defunded. He said, “There is an urgent need for Aboriginal Victorians to have access to culturally safe tenancy support services to help maintain their public housing tenancies.”

To read the full National Indigenous Times article click here.

Victorian Parliament House. Source: National Indigenous Times.

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.

Macular Week – 19–25 June 2023

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience three times more vision loss than non-Indigenous people, creating a concerning gap for vision. Macular Week is a chance to show the impact of macular disease, raise awareness, and highlight why funding research to find a cure is so vital.

35% if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have never had an eye exam. The My Macula quiz, available on the Macular Disease Foundation Australia website here, is an accessible tool to determine if you have any risk factors for macula disease.

Learn more about Macular Week here.

Nov 24 2022

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: The Family Matters Report 2022

The Family Matters Report 2022 released by SNAICC

“The statistics in the Family Matters Report 2022 tell a grim story! Our children continue to be over-represented in out-of-home care, and the trend is increasing. But we know what it takes to turn this tide. The evidence is there. Our communities and organisations have the answers. We need the commitments from governments to make it happen,” taken from post on SNAICC’s social media.

Family Matters reports examine what governments are doing to turn the tide on over-representation and the outcomes for our children. They also highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions and call on governments to support and invest in the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to lead on child wellbeing, development and safety responses for our children.

This year’s Family Matters report is the third to be published following the development of the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement), which was entered into in July 2020. Under the
National Agreement, governments across the country committed to make decisions in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations; to invest in our community-controlled services; to transform government agencies and non-Indigenous services into culturally safe organisations; and to develop data and monitor outcomes in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The National Agreement also committed specifically to reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s over-representation in out-of-homecare by 45% by the year 2031, a target well aligned to the Family Matters campaign’s call to eliminate overrepresentation by 2040.

Read more details and download the report here.

Four Corners release on dismal failures of youth detention policy

Over 130 pages it spells out the dismal failures of youth detention policy in Australia — a country that continues to lock up primary school-age children in the face of evidence that incarceration only leads to more crime.

Prepared for the Council of Attorneys-General with input from state, territory and Commonwealth justice departments, as well as 93 public submissions, the report was finalised in 2020.

ABC Four Corners, as part of an investigation into ongoing abuses within youth detention, has obtained a report of the Council of Attorneys-General review examining the age of criminal responsibility.

At times the language is academic. At times it’s blunt. The recommendation is clear: no child below the age of 14 should be prosecuted for

“The Commonwealth, State and Territory governments should raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 years of age, without exception,” the report says — a conclusion supported by the majority of justice departments around the country.

Australia is one of the only developed countries in the world to prosecute and detain children as young as 10. The global average is 14. What’s commonplace in this country, is prohibited by nations including Russia and China.

The United Nations has repeatedly condemned Australia’s position.

To read the full story click here.

Photo: Matt Davidson. Image source: WAtoday.

Research finds many Australians ignore Covid-19 warnings despite spike in cases

Nearly two-thirds of Australians are still complacent about the risk of Covid-19 infection despite a spike in case numbers and the emergence of new variants, a report has found.

As a string of new Covid-19 warnings ramp up across the country, a research survey conducted by Pfizer Australia found 60 per cent of Australians believed Covid-19 was a thing of the past.

The data compares community sentiment to how Australians were feeling a year ago when Covid-19 was rampant across the states and territories, borders were shut and many people were in and out of lockdown.

The research also found 61 per cent of people were less concerned about the impact of Covid-19 in their community, while about 46 per cent felt less concerned about their personal risk of serious illness.

Health experts have urged people to work from home where they can.

University of Sydney infectious diseases specialist and paediatrician Robert Booy said complacency during the current wave was concerning.

“Protection against Covid-19 infection requires several steps, including ensuring your vaccinations are up to date, practising Covid-safe behaviours and ensuring if you do test positive to Covid, you act fast by talking to your GP to learn if antiviral medicines are right for you,” Professor Booy said.

Reconciliation Australia’s barometer report shows greater levels of racism than 2020

Reconciliation Australia has released the biennial Barometer report, which takes the temperature of relationships between First Nations people and the broader community.

Reconciliation Australia chief executive Karen Mundine says the report is an important tool to track progress.

“The report has been going since 2008 and we run it every two years, just so we get a picture a snapshot of what’s going on at that moment,” she said.

SUMMARY STATISTICS
  • 93% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (95% in 2020)and 89% of Australians in the general community (91% in 2020) feel our relationship is important.
  • Nearly all Australians (93%) want Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a say in their own affairs,
  • 80% of the general community (86% in 2020) and
  • 86% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (91% in 2020) believe it is important to establish a representative Indigenous Body.
  • Support for a national First Nations representative body remains strong with 83% general community and 87% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
  • More Australians than ever before back a Treaty with 72% of non-Indigenous Australians now supporting a treaty – up from 53% in 2020.
  • A majority believe it is important to undertake formal truth-telling processes in relation to Australia’s shared history – 83% general community and 87% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  • 63% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples said they trusted non-Indigenous people they have not interacted with, and non-Indigenous people felt the same way.
  • Trust levels rise steeply when people have social contact: 86% of non-Indigenous people expressing trust in First Nations people and 79% of First Nations trusting non-Indigenous people.
  • 80% of the general community support ANZAC Day ceremonies to honour First Nations and non-Indigenous soldiers.
  • 70% of the general community support the establishment of a national day of significance that celebrates First Nations histories and cultures.
  • 60% of First Nations peoples have experienced at least one form of racial prejudice in the past 6 months (52% in 2020, 43% in 2018). This compares with 25% of non-Indigenous people.
“This latest survey provides evidence that support for reconciliation and the Uluru Statement from the Heart remains strong,” said Reconciliation Australia CEO Karen Mundine. “As does mutual trust between First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians.
“Of particular interest is the steep rise in trust when both groups surveyed by the ARB have a social connection with the other group.
“However, these percentages rise significantly when the respondents were asked the same question about people with whom they had interacted with. Trust levels rose to 86% of non-Indigenous people expressing trust in First Nations people and 79% of First Nations trusting non-Indigenous people.
“These rising levels of trust augur well for change, as we head towards the national referendum on The Voice to Parliament.
“This Barometer continues a long-standing trend of overwhelming support for a national representative Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body and the comprehensive telling (and teaching) of Australia’s true colonial history.”
Voice, Treaty, Truth.”
Read the full story here.

Image source: ABC Kimberley

Hearing Australia’s action plan to halve the rate of hearing loss in First Nations children by 2029

The most recent National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey found 30 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school-aged children had a measured hearing loss in one or both ears.

Chronic otitis media, a middle ear infection and inflammation, is far more frequent in Indigenous children with one in three experiencing the disease.

The Hearing Australia Action Plan for Improving Ear Health and Hearing Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children is all about activities that prevent hearing loss and collaboration with local Aboriginal communities.

Hearing Australia acting national manager stakeholder relations, First Nations services unit and Wiradjuri woman Sherilee McManus, who is based in Maitland, said the action plan is incredibly important because when kids are starting school and have experienced hearing loss, they haven’t had as much of an opportunity to learn and grow.

Read the full story here.

In another ear health news: Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds has welcomed the Commonwealth Government’s new Early Years Strategy as an important step towards prioritising the wellbeing of Australia’s children.

Commissioner Hollonds said: “The Early Years Strategy will be an opportunity for cross-portfolio systems reform, recognising that children and their families do not exist in one policy silo. Rather, their needs stretch across numerous portfolios including health, education, social services, Indigenous affairs, and others.”

Read the full story here.

Dr Kelvin Kong. Photo: Simone De Peak. Image source: RACGP news GP.

Support for high-risk groups after stillbirth and miscarriage

The Hon Ged Kearney MP

Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care

The Australian Government is providing greater support to ease the heartbreak of stillbirth and miscarriage among higher-risk groups.

From today, $5.1 million is available in grants to organisations that can provide high quality, evidence-based bereavement care nationally for women and families who have experienced stillbirth or miscarriage.

Groups that are at higher risk of stillbirth or miscarriage include First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse, refugee and migrant communities, as well as women and families living in rural and remote Australia and women and girls younger than 20 years of age.

Every day in Australia, six babies are stillborn and two die within 28 days of birth, equating to around 3,000 perinatal deaths per year. Up to 1 in 5 confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriage before 20 weeks.

Grants are open to organisations that can develop and deliver holistic and individualised bereavement care for women and families in the target population groups across Australia.

Read the full article here.

Youth yarn about how to get over the shame of STI testing 

This video released by YoungDeadlyFree is for youth with the voices of youth!

Shame is something that can stop us from doing the things we need to do to look after our health. However, shame is something that our mob overcome on a daily basis. This video explores how a range of different young people have overcome shame when it comes to taking charge of their sexual health. Get inspired, get motivated and #gettested 

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.

 

Nov 23 2022

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Coalition of Peaks releases first Annual Report

feature tile cover of CoPs Annual Report 2021-2022; text 'First Annual Report released by the CoPs'

Coalition of Peaks releases first Annual Report

The Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (Coalition of Peaks) has released its first Annual Report, outlining progress in implementing the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (National Agreement).

Significant progress is being made against commitments in the Coalition of Peaks Implementation Plan, with the first Annual Report showing:

  • progress on establishment of five policy partnerships and five place-based partnerships
  • development of a number of sector-strengthening plans
  • establishment of three Community Data Project sites, and progress on another one
  • Agreement on the Data Development Plan
  • growth in Coalition of Peaks membership
  • case studies highlighting the successful implementation of the National Agreement across the country, leading to better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

However, the Annual Report also reveals that progress on Priority Reform Three – transforming mainstream organisations – remains slow, and that more needs to be done.

Scott Wilson, Acting Lead Convener of the Coalition of Peaks, is concerned. “Priority Reform Three is an opportunity to identify, call out, and then address, the institutionalised racism in our mainstream agencies and services”, said Mr Wilson.

Read the full Coalition of Peaks releases first Annual Report – media release.

Great new campaign by VACCHO on early detection and cancer screening

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) is calling on the Community to come forward for potentially life-saving cancer screening and health checkups as part of the ‘Don’t Miss a Moment’ campaign launch.

Cancer Council Victoria data also indicates that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria are nearly 2.5 times more likely to die from cancer than non-Aboriginal people.

The reduction in the number of people coming forward for cancer screening adds further cause for concern for VACCHO and has led to the development of the Community focused ‘Don’t Miss a Moment’ initiative.

The ‘Don’t Miss a Moment’ campaign is narrated by proud Wongutha-Yamatji man, staunch advocate, and award-winning performer, writer, and director Meyne Wyatt.

It is recommended that Mob get a health checkup with their GP or Aboriginal health service each year. Health check-ups help you to manage your health, prevent chronic diseases, make sure you are up to date with cancer screening and help make sure you are there for the moments that matter.
Book your health checkup with your GP or Aboriginal health service today.

Marlamanu on-country diversionary program to tackle youth offending in Kimberley

Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan says the McGowan Government’s on-country diversion facility in the Kimberley has reached a major milestone, with Marlamanu Pty Ltd selected to progress delivery of the pilot program for at-risk youth.

A detailed service agreement will now be negotiated with Marlamanu Pty Ltd which will see an Aboriginal-led diversionary program established at the Myroodah cattle station, approximately 112 kilometres south-east of Derby in the West Kimberley. It follows completion of the program design – aimed at providing up to 16 places each year for young men between 14 and 17. Work is underway with agencies – including the Western Australia Police Force and the Department of Communities and Justice – to refine the pathways for referrals to the program, including from the courts.

For more details click here.

Read the full article released by the National Indigenous Times here.

New promising project to tackle hearing loss issues in remote areas 

Newly-graduated Indigenous audiometrists are heading home to the bush, to help tackle a ‘shameful crisis’ of hearing loss. It’s estimated that in some remote communities, up to 90 per cent of children are affected.

Margaret Murray is an Aboriginal Health Worker living in the NSW-Victorian border town of Albury, who knows firsthand about the devastating impacts of hearing infections.

“As a child growing up near Mildura [in northern Victoria] I had a perforated ear,” the Maraura Barkindji woman says.

“Dad had to take me to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne for surgery,” she says.
“I was lucky to be left with scarring but no permanent hearing loss. But a lot of other children with perforated ears grow up to need hearing aids.”

Read the full story released in SBS News here.

Creating safe spaces for conversations to prevent suicide

Introduction by Croakey: Dharawal and Dharug woman Shannay Holmes writes below about the importance of providing young people with culturally safe tools and language to navigate support and discussions around the topic of suicide.

“It’s time our young mob are supported and equipped with the appropriate tools to be able to support themselves and their peers,” Holmes writes. “I imagine if myself and my friends were taught how to talk about suicide and how to better support each other at school, we may not have had to struggle for as long as we did.”

Holmes works on the Heal Our Way campaign, which aims to provide practical resources to community members to equip them with the skills to have safe conversations around suicide.

Led by Cox Inall Ridgeway in partnership with Aboriginal communities in NSW, health leaders and people who have lived experience of suicide, Heal Our Way is a NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Campaign funded by the NSW Ministry of Health under Towards Zero Suicides (TZS) initiatives.

Read the full story released in Croakey Health Media here

Remote Primary Health Care Manuals

The Remote Primary Health Care Manuals are currently being reviewed and updated and will be launched in February 2023.

For more information click here.

Research Report MJA: Aboriginal people are less likely to survive the year after an ICU admission

Risk of death and 12-month mortality among critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit are higher for Indigenous than non-Indigenous people, according to research published today by the Medical Journal of Australia

“Rates of ill-health are higher and  lower for  than for other people in many countries,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr. Paul Secombe, an intensivist at Alice Springs Hospital and Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University.

“After taking the lower median age of Indigenous ICU patients into account, their mortality outcomes are significantly poorer than for non-Indigenous patients.”

The authors concluded that their findings suggested that  may contribute to earlier death among Indigenous Australians, and “consequently to lower life expectancy.”

Read the full story in the Medical Express 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.

 

Nov 21 2022

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Registrations OPEN – 2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week Virtual TRIVIA

Registrations OPEN: 2022 ATSIHAW Virtual TRIVIA 

Inviting all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHOs) staff and other organisations supporting ACCHOs to join us in this year’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week (ATSIHAW) Virtual Trivia on Thursday 8 December 2022.

Loads of prizes up for grabs for your team and sexual health resources for your ACCHOs……entertainment priceless!

REGISTER NOW! Early bird registrations get rewarded! First 10 teams to register will receive a free lunch (value $20pp up to 5 people per team)

Trivia Times:
• 1pm – WA
• 2.30pm – NT
• 3pm – QLD
• 3.30pm – SA
• 4pm – NSW, ACT, TAS, VIC

To REGISTER your Team CLICK HERE.

*Only one person from each team needs to register for their team.

Each year, ATSIHAW provides an opportunity for conversations about HIV in our communities to increase education and awareness, prevention and treatment, the importance of regular testing and to reduce stigma. In 2022, NACCHO are co-hosting the ATSIHAW Virtual Trivia alongside the University of Queensland’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.

Sexual health-themed costumes and props are highly encouraged – there will be prizes for the best dressed! Keep it classy!

Background: The ‘U and Me Can Stop HIV’ campaign was created in collaboration, led by Professor James Ward currently at the University of Queensland’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health (previously with the South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute).

Each year coinciding with World AIDS Day on 1 December, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week (ATSIHAW) is held nationally to continue conversations about HIV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. ATSIHAW was launched in 2014 with support from the Australian Government Department of Health and has been run annually ever since. The ongoing theme for ATSIHAW is: ‘U and Me Can Stop HIV’ further promoting the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health being in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hands!

For more details on ATISHAW’s history click here.

If you have any questions please contact us at BBVSTI@Naccho.org.au

Danila Dilba diversion connects young people with their victims in effort to stop reoffending

A local diversion program is reducing reoffending by forcing young people to hear from their victims. Read how the program is reducing youth crime.

Bringing children face-to-face with their victims has proven to decrease their chances of reoffending, according to an Aboriginal health provider.

Danila Dilba Health Service runs a holistic diversion program that has a 76 per cent completion rate.

The Aboriginal health provider was contracted by the NT government to run diversion and primary care inside Don Dale Youth Detention after the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children recommended young people be exposed to culturally-appropriate services.

Chief executive Rob McPhee said the program started in 2020 and involved taking young people into the hospital to see the impacts of trauma, while also putting support services around both the child and family.

“We’ve had 50 young people participate in the program and 38 of them have completed it,” Mr McPhee said.

“We get really positive feedback from the young people and from families and where possible, we try to include the victims of their crime as well so that the young people hear from victims that are affected by their behaviour.”

Read the full story released in NT News here.

 

Image source: NT News

AMA calls on NT legislators and all jurisdictions to raise the age of criminal responsibility

The Australian Medical Association has called on the Northern Territory government and all Australian governments to stop putting children in jail.

The Northern Territory is set to pass legislation which will see the age of criminal responsibility in the Territory rise from 10-years-old to 12, however the AMA says the changes do not go far enough and the minimum age for incarceration should be 14 years old.

President of the AMA Professor Steve Robson said the Northern Territory law will still allow children in primary school and in their first year of high school to be placed in jails like the Don Dale Youth Detention Facility.

“The AMA urges Northern Territory legislators to listen to the experts and not turn their backs on this issue. The health advice is clear, kids aged 12 and 13 should not be held criminally responsible. The job will not be done until the minimum age is raised to 14 years,” Professor Robson said.

“Our position is informed by medical evidence — jail is no place for children. It offers limited rehabilitation opportunities and has serious adverse impacts on child development and mental and emotional wellbeing. There are alternatives.”

AMA Northern Territory President, Associate Professor Robert Parker, said the AMA was also calling on the Northern Territory Government to close the Don Dale Youth Detention Facility.

Read the AMA full media release here.

two Aboriginal youths in Darwin Don Dale Juvenile Prison

Youth detained in Darwin prison. Image source: ABC News website.

Two great scholarships honouring two incredible women 

Aunty Angela Clarke (Grad Cert) https://mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/…/n/angela-clarkescholarship

Aunty Joan Vickery (Masters) https://mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/…/aunty-joan-vickery…

Aunty Angela Clarke worked as the Koori Hospital Liaison Officer at the Royal Children’s Hospital and later was the Deputy Director of the VicHealth Koori Health Research Unit (Onemda). Her contribution to Aboriginal health was transformative, pioneering new models of community participation in research and embedding culturally responsive clinical practice for Indigenous patients.

Aunty Joan Vickery’s impressive leadership and advocacy over many decades improved Indigenous health outcomes and delivery of services across Victoria. Helping to establish the Ngwala Willumbong Co-operative in 1975 – which continues to deliver outreach services to Aboriginal people affected by substance abuse – she later worked to improve understanding of diabetes among Indigenous families as the first Aboriginal Liaison Officer at St Vincent’s Hospital through rolling out a series of programs and support networks.

For more information visit the University of Melbourne website here.

High school students throughout Cairns can fast-track into a career in healthcare

High school students throughout Cairns can fast track into a career in healthcare with the launch of a $1.4m state-of-the-art medical precinct at Bentley Park College.

There are critical workforce shortages in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across the nation as well as a broader shortage of health care workers and Bentley Park College Principal Bruce Houghton said 40 per cent of students were of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

“The student response has been outstanding – by completing their certificate courses they can go on to do their diploma at TAFE or go on to nursing at university or become a medical practitioner, a paramedic or a doctor,” Mr Houghton said.

Students can complete certificate two and three courses as well as an assistant in nursing qualification at the precinct, while students from other schools can jump in on school holidays and gain the same qualifications.

Mr Houghton said data in 2020 showed that a lot of Bentley Park graduates were going into medical work.

To read the full story released in the Daily Telegraph click here.

Source: Daily Telegraph

AMSANT Annual Report 2021–2022

AMSANT is staying flexible and moving fast to meet the growing primary healthcare needs of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.

AMSANT’s support of Member Services and community controlled health, and their leadership in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is outlined in our new Annual Report that you can view here.

If you have any queries or feedback email: reception@amsant.org.au

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.

 

Nov 21 2022

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: NACCHO Medicines and Pharmacy Stream at the NACCHO Members’ Conference 2022

The image in the feature tile was taken at the NACCHO Medicines and Pharmacy session at the NACCHO Members’ Conference 2022:    

Left to right: Associate Professor Faye McMillan, Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner, Chastina Heck, Chair of the NACCHO-PSA ACCHO Pharmacist Leadership Group, Rebekah Cassidy, Sanofi Head of Communications Australia and New Zealand, Bryony Forrest, recipient of the NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacist Scholarship, Mike Stephens, NACCHO Director Medicines Policy and Programs.

NACCHO Medicines and Pharmacy Stream at the NACCHO Members’ Conference 2022

“We look at medicine programs that improve how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can use medications. We also deal with policies around improving access to medications and making sure that medications and pharmacy services are really accessible. We have been consulting with our Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services across the country on how they manage medicines in the clinics. They’ve asked us to provide some guidelines and support materials to improve how medicines are managed in the clinics,” said Mike Stephens, NACCHO Director of Medicines Policy and Programs at the NACCHO Member’s Conference 2022.

NACCHO Medicines and Pharmacy team hosted a session on ACCHO Medicines Management Guidelines session at the NACCHO Members’ Conference 2022 that highlighted the process involved in having access to good quality, safe, effective and affordable essential medicines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. To view, the ACCHO Medicines Management Guidelines click here.

About the systems that support safe, effective and cost-effective use of medicines

On Day 2 of the conference, saw another session by the Medicines and Pharmacy team on ‘The IPAC project, Deadly Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) Collaborations’. In that session, the presentation covered the importance of the IPAC project, the newly launched Deadly Pharmacists foundation training course co-designed with PSA, and a couple of examples of other PSA collaborations involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.  To view the presentation click here.

Deadly Pharmacists and PSA Collaboration

In this video in the link below, hear from the Medicines and Pharmacy team who highlight the work carried out for the ACCHO sector and talk about what the NACCHO Member’s Conference 2022 theme- ‘Honour the Past Prepare for the Future’, means to them. The key takeaway is how traditional medicines that trace back 60,000 years ago and past knowledge are still relevant for us now and will be in the future. Featured in the video:

  • Mike Stephens, NACCHO Director Medicines Policy and Programs
  • Alice Nugent, Pharmacist Advisor, NACCHO Medicines Policy and Programs
  • Chastina Heck, Chair of the NACCHO-PSA ACCHO Pharmacist Leadership Group
  • Associate Professor Faye McMillan, Deputy National Rural Health Commissioner
  • Bryony Forrest, the recipient of the NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pharmacist Scholarship, proudly supported by Sanofi.

For more information or any queries on Medicines and Pharmacy, email medicines@naccho.org.au

Developing wellbeing (trauma) informed care approaches across ACCHSs in the Kimberley region of WA

A new health research project in Kimberley aims to improve clinical responses to the experiences of adversity and trauma that many Aboriginal patients experience and the impact this has on their healthcare access and engagement.

Research Fellow Emma Carlin, from The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia and The University of Western Australia’s Medical School, is leading a partnership with the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service and the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing research project, to develop and implement Wellbeing Informed Care approaches for Aboriginal Community Controlled primary health care in the Kimberley region.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) is providing $955,000 to fund the project over three years. This funding is matched with significant in-kind contributions from the partner agencies.

The project will work with clinics and community to co-design and implement Wellbeing Informed Care in a place based and culturally secure way while reflecting on international and national trauma-informed care research.

At the end of the project, the partnership aims to have developed an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service specific approach to Wellbeing Informed Care alongside an accessible implementation guide that will be available for other interested services.

To read the full story click here.

Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS culturally safe and accessible maternity care

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Service’s midwifery program aims to remove barriers that prevent women from accessing maternity care by providing culturally safe, non-judgemental and flexible care, says CEO Julie Tongs.

“We focus on the clinical, cultural and spiritual needs of Aboriginal clients, families and the community and the midwifery program welcomed 68 babies into the community in 2020 and 2021,” says Ms Tongs.

“The midwifery team offers antenatal and postnatal care, community at home support, baby health checks, breastfeeding support, immunisations, and a range of women’s health services.

“Our midwives work closely with ACT hospitals, and assist in ensuring continuity of care between Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS and hospital services”.

Ms Tongs says Winnunga also has a comprehensive child immunisation program they encourage patients to access.

“This also allows us to follow up on our patients’ progress with postpartum recovery, and to assist them with any needs in relation to caring for their infants,” says Ms Tongs.

“It is vitally important for high-risk clients to have access to Aboriginal specific, culturally appropriate midwifery services, as many choose not to access mainstream services without support.”

To read the full story on ‘Supporting Mums through pregnancy and beyond’ in CBR City News click here.

To read the latest Winnunga Nimmityjah AHCS 2021-2022 Annual Report click here.

Congratulations to Aboriginal Nurse/Midwife of the Year: Sarah-Kathleen Colliss – Nunyara Aboriginal Health, Central Coast LHD 

Nurses and midwives across NSW have been celebrated for their significant contribution to the public health system, with the winners of the 10th annual 2022 Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards announced today. Health Minister Brad Hazzard and Regional Health Minister Bronnie Taylor congratulated the nurses and midwives for their outstanding commitment to providing world-class care to patients across NSW.

“These nurses and midwives deserve to be recognised for going above and beyond in their dedication to caring for patients, their families and communities every day,” Mr Hazzard said.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the highly skilled health staff for the excellent work they do across NSW, particularly during the past few years of the pandemic.”

The winners in each of the eight categories are:

  • Nurse of the Year: Cecilia Desousa – Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney LHD
  • Midwife of the Year: Kim Wood – Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney LHD
  • Aboriginal Nurse/Midwife of the Year: Sarah-Kathleen Colliss – Nunyara Aboriginal Health, Central Coast LHD D
  • New to Practice Nurse/Midwife of the Year: Rachael Roach – Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Mid North Coast LHD; and Stacey-Lee Cossar-Denny – Gilgandra Multi-Purpose Service, Western NSW LHD
  • Nursing/Midwifery Team of the Year: Campbelltown – Marrickville and Redfern Acute Care Service, Sydney LHD
  • Judith Meppem Leadership Award: Sonia Marshall – Director Nursing, Midwifery and Performance, South Western Sydney LHD
  • Healing Heart (colleague) Award for exceptional care: Denise Burns – Campbelltown Hospital, South Western Sydney LHD
  • Healing Heart (consumer) Award for exceptional care: Judy Boynton – Sustaining NSW Families, Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD

Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Jacqui Cross said the winners represent a wide range of roles performed by nurses and midwives in diverse settings across the NSW health system.

“Nurses and midwives are an integral part of our health system, providing the essential care and support people require through different stage of their life,” Ms Cross said.

“All of the finalists and winners should be proud of their achievements – they make a difference in the lives of patients every day.”

Read the full story here.

Sarah-Kathleen Colliss have been selected from nominations across eight categories that recognise nurses and midwives who have made a difference in clinical practice, management and leadership.

More First Nations Australians receiving NDIS support

First Nations Australians living with disability are accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in greater numbers, according to new data.

The latest NDIS Quarterly Report shows that of the 23,137 new participants to enter the Scheme in the quarter, 9.4 per cent (2,169) identified as First Nations peoples.

As of 30 September 2022, the NDIS was providing disability support to 40,842 First Nations participants, up from 34,378 at the same time last year – an increase of more than 18 per cent.

Minister for the NDIS, Bill Shorten, and Senator Malarndirri McCarthy are pleased to see the number of First Nations participants increase, as the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) continues to focus on ensuring First Nations peoples with disability can more easily access support.

Increasing the number of First Nations staff working at the NDIA is also a priority for the Australian Government. In the 2022 APS Census, three per cent of NDIA staff identified as First Nations people.

The NDIA’s First Nations Employee Network (FNEN) Conference was held for the first time since COVID, with Senator McCarthy as a guest speaker.

Since June 2022, the NDIA has:

  • Discussed the potential of a partnership agreement with First Peoples Disability Network Australia (FPDN) to support the NDIA in the co-design of the strategy.
  • Engaged with key internal and external stakeholders to discuss their involvement and input in the strategy co-design process.

Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said, “Having attended the NDIA’s latest First Nations Employee Network Conference, the Agency has increasing the number of First Nations NDIA staff on their agenda. The network’s conference will help the NDIA’s efforts to deliver culturally appropriate NDIS support to First Nations communities.

“I spoke directly to First Nations NDIA staff and gave the Australian Government’s overview of the NDIS and First Nations matters.

“The conference also explored the actions in their NDIA First Nations Employment and Inclusion Plan 2022-25 and what the Agency could do to bring those actions to life, including career development, recruitment and retention of First Nations peoples.”

To read the full story click here.

image of wheelchair wheel & seat overlaid with Aboriginal dot painting gold, red, blue white tones

Image source: AbSec website.

Noel Pearson proposes “A job guarantee for the Bottom Million”

In the third instalment of his thought-provoking ABC Boyer Lecture series, Noel Pearson examines the individual, community and societal structures required to empower Aboriginal communities and how a Voice will support them.

In this lecture, Pearson cites a 2017 Productivity Commission report which found three per cent of Australians were in income poverty continuously for at least the previous four years. They come from single parent families, the unemployed, people with disabilities and Indigenous Australians who were particularly likely to experience income poverty, deprivation and social exclusion.

“The Commission’s numbers are open to debate.  They are likely an underestimate. I propose this Bottom Million is caught in four traps: the trap of the natural rate of unemployment, the trap of the middle-class welfare service industries, the trap of the vice industries and the trap of voicelessness.” Pearson said.

“If a Voice is to be effective and meaningful, it must be about giving the Wik people a Voice, so that they can take better responsibility for their people. It must be about giving the Yolngu a Voice, so that they can be empowered to solve their own problems. It must be about giving the Yorta Yorta a voice. This must not be a top-down, socialist structure.”

Read the full story here.

Noel Pearson in his third ABC Boyer Lecture

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.

 

Jun 7 2022

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Health Minister’s to-do list is packed

Note: the mage in the feature tile is of Winston, a traditional owner, land manager, artist and Aboriginal Health Worker from Blackstone (Papulankutja) community in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of WA, who was first diagnosed at Kings Canyon during an outreach screening service for Aboriginal rangers. His dense cataract caused him to go blind in his left eye, which he kept shut to keep out the painful glare. Image source: The Fred Hollows Foundation website.

Health Minister’s to-do list is packed

Dr Tim Woodruff, a specialist working in private practice, has written an article for Croakey Health Media arguing that when it comes to delivering better healthcare and better health for Australians, the new Federal Government has a lot of work to do. Dr Woodruff  says the government’s intention to review the NDIS is desperately needed, and if improvements introduced are the right ones, this will also help public hospitals by limiting unnecessary admissions and time in hospitals. It will also make primary healthcare for those with disability much easier to access and co-ordinate.”

Dr Woodruff goes on to note that “Primary healthcare is in increasing disarray. The GP workforce is aging and unable to provide adequate timely access. Co-ordination of care is chaotic even when access to the spectrum of care is available. Primary Health Networks are improving but have quite limited capacity, and fee for service funding is inappropriate for chronic disease.”

Dr Woodruff points out that ACCHOs and 80 Community Health Centres in Victoria who have demonstrated the success of different models of primary healthcare provision need to be supported and expanded. Co-ordination and integration are key elements for these services, rather than optional add-ons as they often are in standard GP-led practices, and primary prevention is an integral part of such practices.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Memo to Minister Mark Butler and colleagues: your to-do list is packed in full click here.

Image source: Croaky Health Media.

Labor’s Indigenous affairs agenda

Alongside reforms in Indigenous health, housing, welfare and the justice system, Labor is committing to a referendum on the voice to parliament in their first term of government, all spearheaded by the first Aboriginal woman in cabinet – the new Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney.

Guardian Australia’s Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, spoke to Linda Burney about how Labor intends to keep these promises in a podcast available here.

Linda Burney. Phto: Blake Sharp-Wiggins, The Guardian.

Pat Dodson on the Uluru Statement

Yawuru man Patrick Dodson has been at the forefront of change for much of his life. Well-known for his role at the helm of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation in the 1990s, the Broome-based Labor Senator has also played significant roles in the fields of Aboriginal deaths in custody, native title and research. In 2019 he was widely tipped to become Australia’s first Aboriginal Federal Indigenous affairs minister before a shock result delivered the election to the Liberals and Ken Wyatt was elevated to the job.

Now, finally part of a government in office, Mr Dodson has been appointed a new role as Special Envoy for Reconciliation and the Implementation of the Uluru Statement. From the Heart campaign director Dean Parkin said Mr Dodson’s appointment was well-deserved, “having his wisdom, experience and expertise involved in this in a very direct way is a great development and hugely encouraging for our prospects of success.” Mr Parkin, who is of the Quandamooka peoples of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) in Queensland, said Indigenous-led decision making was vital to making progress. “A voice to parliament making sure people from those communities are sitting at the table advising the politics and the bureaucrats is the best way to make progress in Closing The Gap,” he said.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Father of reconciliation Pat Dodson turns eye to Uluru Statement in new role in full click here.

Senator Pat Dodson. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Mob in city for medical care risk homelessness

Aboriginal people from regional WA visiting Perth for medical care are at risk of homelessness and relying on aged care facilities for accommodation in the city, a parliamentary inquiry has heard. During a recent inquiry into the financial administration of homelessness services in WA, Moorditj Koort Aboriginal Corporation told the panel chaired by Liberal MLC Peter Collier there was a “terrible increase” in individuals and families facing homelessness.

Moorditj Koort deputy chief executive Annie Young said at least one in every 10 clients was at risk of or already of homeless. “We have people with other issues including justice issues, they are involved with the Department of Child Protection, there are compounding issues as well,” she said. Ms Young said rental stress was acute for those accessing Centrelink and on low incomes. She encouraged the inquiry to also examine overcrowding and its impact on health of residents.

To read the National Indigenous Times article Aboriginal people visiting Perth for healthcare forced to rely on aged care system, inquiry told in full click here.

Raymond Ward (right) talks with Freddie in his shelter which he shares with up to six other people at the Tent City homeless camp in Perth. Image source: Daily Mail Australia.

Top 3 questions – flu vax and pregnancy

Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Professor Alison McMillan has given a presentation on why it’s important for women to get the flu vaccine when they are pregnant. In the presentation Professor McMillan answers the following questions:

  • Is it safe for women to receive a flu vaccination at any stage of their pregnancy?
  • What potential adverse reactions should pregnant women be aware of following the flu vaccination?
  • Does getting the flu vaccination while pregnant protect unborn babies from flu?

For further information you can access the Australian Government Department of Health’s webpage Top 3 questions – Flu vaccination & pregnancy with Professor Alison McMillan here.

Clinical Yarning program about trust

Clinical Yarning — a Mid West-led approach to build more trusting relationships between patients and clinicians — is set to keep spreading the word after receiving a funding injection. The research program, a patient-centred healthcare framework that marries Aboriginal cultural communication preferences with biomedical understandings of health and disease, will receive a share of $2.3 million in funding after being awarded an Implementation Science Fellowship.

Dr Ivan Lin, senior lecturer at the Geraldton-based WA Centre for Rural Health (WACRH), which is part of the University of WA, was one of four recipients of the fellowship, which are conducted in partnership with the WA Country Health Service (WACHS). “(Clinical Yarning is) designed to address long identified issues reported by Aboriginal people when accessing health services, by improving health providers communication with these communities,” Dr Lin said.

To view the Sound Telegraph article Mid West-led Clinical Yarning program receives State Government funding boost thanks to fellowship in full click here. You can also view Professor Dawn Bessarab in the video below introducing the Clinical Yarning eLearning Program.

Jimmy Little’s early death to kidney disease

Dr James “Jimmy” Oswald Little AO was born on 1 March 1937. The eldest of seven children, he was raised on Cummeragunja Mission Station on the Murray River. The Yorta Yorta/Yuin man first picked up a guitar at 13, taking to it quickly he was playing local concerts in just a year. In 1955 he took the leap and moved to Sydney, pursuing a country music career. By 1956, he had signed to Regal Zonophone Records and recorded his first single Mysteries of Life/Hearbreak Waltz.

In 1963, Little hit the big time with his cover of gospel song Royal Telephone which hit #1 Sydney and #3 in Melbourne. Its success made history, being the first song by an Indigenous artist to hit the mainstream. Little was hitting his stride at a time when his people weren’t counted as citizens. In 1989, Little received the National Aboriginal Day of Observance Committee’s Aboriginal of the Year award, in 2002 he was named NSW Senior Australian of the Year, and in 2004 he was the recipient of the Australia Council Red Ochre Award. The same year he received an Order of Australia for his health and education advocacy and was recognised as a “living Australian treasure” via public vote.

In 1990, Little was diagnosed with kidney disease which led to kidney failure and Type II diabetes. In 2006 he established The Jimmy Little Foundation. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get check-ups often enough or soon enough to realise the possibility that my kidneys could fail,” he said. “I have seen too much fear and sadness caused by the early death and suffering from potentially preventable chronic illnesses by my Indigenous brothers and sisters. “I started The Jimmy Little Foundation to do something positive to curb the rate of chronic disease.” On April 2, 2012 Little died at Dubbo home, aged 75.

To view the NITV article Google pays homage to Indigenous music icon, Jimmy Little in full click here.

Dixon Patten’s Jimmy Little dedicated graphic for Google. Image source: SBS NITV 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.

May 11 2022

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Major parties have barely said anything useful

Major parties have barely said anything useful

Scott Morrison’s dismissal of the Uluru Statement from the Heart is “disheartening,” according to the CEO of the peak Aboriginal Health Body. Speaking to NITV’s The Point, Pat Turner said a voice to Parliament would give Aboriginal people the right to practice self-determination. “I think it’s a national shame that the two major parties have barely said anything useful,” she said. “What Labor has said is it’s committed to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which is fine, and to hold a referendum. “Apparently the polls are saying that a majority of Australians support a voice to Parliament, but getting that through a successful referendum is another story.”

Ms Turner also highlighted the issue of Indigenous health, saying billions more needs to be spent to address the ‘gap’ in life expectancy between First Nations people and non-Indigenous populations. A report, commissioned by NACCHO and released on Tuesday identified a $4.4 billion underspend in Indigenous health from state, territory and commonwealth governments. “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities have always been underfunded,” she said. “It’s like a patronising, paternalistic regime that thinks ‘oh well, that’s enough from them and they can get on with it’. “Well, we do get on with it but we can’t continue on unless we want to see the health gap widen even more… so what we will be telling all of the jurisdictions is stand up and be counted in terms of fulfilling your responsibilities.”

You read the SBS NITV article Election 2022: Major parties’ approach to Indigenous issues slammed here, view the Pat Turner being interviewed on NITV’s The Point below and read a transcript of the interview here.

Lack of attention to First Nations issues “a disgrace”

Yesterday afternoon NACCHO CEO Pat Turner was interviewed by Fran Kelly on ABC News Afternoon Briefing. Ms Turner addressed the upcoming federal election and the health funding shortfall. In response to the question “Is there enough attention being paid in this election campaign to Indigenous issues?” Ms Turner said “absolutely not, I think it’s a  disgrace the major parties have not given sufficient attention to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues. There are many needs that remain unmet and we launched a report today to show that the gap in health funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is $4.4 billion and that adds to our trove of evidence that we will use to continue to argue with governments how they can make up that $4.4 billion shortfall.”

You can watch a video of interview from 34:20 minutes onwards to 50 minutes here.

Poor public policy without consultation

This month will likely see the NT government pass laws that will see alcohol allowed into a host town camps, living areas and some communities for the first time since 2007. Those areas that were self-declared dry beforehand will not be affected. Under the changes, the management of alcohol will pass from the federal government back to the NT government who are legislating for an opt-in approach to alcohol bans, with many communities and town camps needing to specifically ask to remain dry. A range of bodies including police and peak Aboriginal organisations have questioned the move and called for a pause to changes to allow for proper consultation and avoid what many believe will be a spike in grog-fuelled mayhem in both town and out bush. NT has the highest level of grog harm, alcohol related deaths and alcohol consumption in Australia. The NT government has rejected extending the federal measures with the Chief Minister saying they are racist and they need to go. This is supported by Chansey Paech who is the Minister for Remote Housing and Town Camps.

In a recent interview on ABC Alice Springs NACCHO CEO Pat Turner AM she would never speak on behalf of local communities but speaking from the experience of ACCHOs who deal with the fall out of alcohol abuse. Ms Turner said “the NT government needs to ensure full consultation with every Aboriginal community that’s going to be affected by the changes in the alcohol laws that it is proposing. To say that the legislation is racist and was done on that basis is Chansey Paech’s view but doesn’t reflect the reality of opening the gates in the communities where people don’t want the change.” Ms Turner continued on to say that where services exist, and many communities don’t have services, the impact on ACCHOs will be enormous. Ms Turner described the proposed changes to the alcohol laws as “poor public policy without proper consultation and full informed choice.”

You can listen to the ABC Alice Springs radio interview in full by clicking on the image below:

Naamuru Mother and Baby Unit opens

New mums requiring specialist care for a severe mental illness can now have their babies stay with them at NSW’s first public, purpose-built Mother and Baby Unit. The new facility at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital in Camperdown is the first state-wide facility designed to keep families together when a mother requires hospitalisation for a severe perinatal mental illness. Named ‘Naamuru’, a local Aboriginal dialect word meaning ‘leading the way’, the unit will care for up to 120 NSW residents a year who have infants up to 12 months of age.

The eight-bed unit is staffed by specialist perinatal health professionals who can attend to the mental health needs of the mother, as well as facilitate appropriate care of the baby and promote positive mother-baby interactions. Each bedroom is large enough to accommodate the mother, up to two infants under 12-months of age and a partner or family member. There are also therapeutic spaces, including a 24-hour respite nursery; a mothercraft room; dining and kitchen areas; outdoor courtyards; play areas; and a retreat room.

To view the NSW Health media release in full click here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Prisoners need culturally competent health care

When someone is placed in prison, they are entirely dependent on prison officers and prison health-care providers. Incarcerated people do not get to choose when they see a doctor or mental health practitioner, when they take medicine, or what type of care they receive. They cannot call 000 and be taken to a hospital if they are dangerously ill. In Victoria, if a prisoner is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person, they do not get access to culturally competent care through ACCHOs. In Victoria, prison health care is provided by for-profit private companies contracted by the state government.

Imprisoned peoples’ physical health and/or social and emotional well-being is at the mercy of prison officers and prison health-care providers. Through their practice the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, have seen the differences between how people are treated in the community and how they are treated in prisons and youth prisons. The right to health care continues when people are incarcerated. International law requires “prisoners should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community”. This health care should be “free of charge” and “without discrimination”. It also makes clear everyone has the right to the “highest attainable standard of physical and mental health”.

To view the article Victoria’s prison health care system should match community health care in The Conversation full click here.

Image source: The Conversation.

Eating disorders foundation marks 20 years

From humble beginnings over a kitchen table, to the largest national charity for eating disorders and body image issues, Butterfly Foundation has been changing lives for 20 years.  More than a million Australians live with an eating disorder, with many more suffering body image issues. For two decades, Butterfly’s efforts in advocacy, community education, early intervention, prevention and clinical services has helped to significantly change the conversation and understanding around eating disorders, establishing them as serious and complex mental illnesses, rather than a lifestyle choice. However, Butterfly’s work remains critical, as many misconceptions and stigma prevail.

Today Wednesday 11 May 2022 Butterfly has launched a new campaign celebrating its 20th anniversary and setting the agenda for the next 20 years of treatment and prevention of eating disorders and body image issues in Australia. Butterfly’s big ambitions include:

  • A national parliamentary inquiry into body image
  • Preventing eating disorders from occurring
  • Reducing stigma and increasing help-seeking
  • Improving eating disorder treatment and support services

Butterfly Foundation CEO, Kevin Barrow, said, “Anecdotally speaking, the way we talk about eating disorders is about 10 years behind how we now speak about anxiety and depression. Eating disorders are still misunderstood and grossly under-estimated, with stigma and stereotypes acting as a major barrier to help-seeking. “There is so much more work that needs to be done in the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of eating disorders as well as education for the broader community.”

The Butterfly website includes the video below and a number of articles relating to eating disorders and body image concerns among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Declonising whiteness in preventive health

At the The Preventive Health Conference 2022 which runs from today until Friday 13 May 2022 in Brisbane, some of the world’s leading experts will explore a range of topics including decolonising and disrupting whiteness in preventive health, the priorities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, and investments in prevention. Conference Advisory Committee Chair Associate Professor Louisa Gordon of QIMR Berghofer said Australia needs to spend 5% of total health expenditure on prevention because it will save lives and is far cheaper than spending on treatments.

To view the Public Health Association of Australia media release Risky behaviours, exercise, and gambling among topics to be explored at Preventive Health Conference 2022 in full click here.

Image source: HealthUno.

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.

Primary Care COVID-19 update

The latest in a series of webinars to update primary care on the COVID-19 response and the vaccine rollout will be held from 11:30 AM–12:00PM (AEDT) Thursday 12 May 2022.

This week Australian Government Department of Health (DoH) Dr Lucas de Toca, First Assistant Secretary, COVID-19 Primary Care Response will be chairing the webinar and will be joined by DoH Dr Nick Simpson, Medical Medical Adviser, Technology Assessment and Access Division.

GPs and all health professionals are welcome to attend the webinar and can join using this link. If you’re unable to view this webinar live, you can view it on-demand using the same link, within a few hours of the live stream ending.

banner DoH Primary Care COVID-19 update Dep CMO - image of DCMO & COVID-19 virus cell