Category Diabetes

3 July 2024

The NACCHO Sector 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.

CTG PBS Co-payment Program has been expanded

The Closing the Gap (CTG) PBS Co-payment Program has been expanded to include section 100 (S100) PBS medicines dispensed by community pharmacies, approved medical practitioners, and private hospitals in Australia. This expansion is in addition to the section 85 (general schedule) medicines which are also dispensed under this program. The initiative also covers all section 100 PBS medicines supplied under Continued Dispensing arrangements. Starting from 1 January 2025, the program will extend to all section 85 and 100 PBS medicines currently dispensed by public hospitals around the country.

The CTG PBS Co-payment Program aims to improve access to PBS medicines for First Nations people with or at risk of chronic diseases, and addresses the significant barrier of medicine costs. It helps ensure they can adhere to their prescribed medication regimen, reducing the likelihood of setbacks in the prevention or management of their conditions.

Registered participants on the CTG PBS Co-payment Register who would normally pay the full general PBS co-payment amount now pay the concessional rate. Those who already pay the concessional rate receive their medicines for free, without any co-payment costs. Additionally, the Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services (RAAHS) program complements this initiative by allowing clients in remote areas to receive free PBS medicines directly from their RAAHS without the need for a normal PBS script.

You can find more detailed information about the expansion of the CTG PBS Co-Payment Program on the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care’s PBS News webpage here. 

New programs to combat diabetes and chronic conditions

Two new programs will be rolled out this year to help combat diabetes and other chronic conditions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is good news for the Mackay community, according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Mackay Integrated Team Care (ITC) team.

ATSICHS Mackay Indigenous Health Project Officer Sharni Scott-Knight (nee Dorante) said the ITC team recently participated in the Diabetes Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diabetes training as well as the My Health for Life facilitator training. “These programs are currently in the planning stages and will be rolled out this year,” Mrs Scott-Knight said.

“These programs will be extremely beneficial to help people manage their chronic conditions and continue to access culturally safe and high-quality health care services, at both ACCHOs and mainstream private practice” said Mrs Scott-Knight.

To view the PHN Northern Queensland article Our Region, Our People: Meet Sharni in full click here.

-R: ITC Outreach Worker Atha Power, ITC Care Coordinator - Private Practices patients Alma Hawdon, ITC Care Coordinator - ATSICHS Mackay patients Thelma Fry, and Indigenous Health Project Officer/Team Leader Sharni Scott-Knight

L-R: ITC Outreach Worker Atha Power, ITC Care Coordinator – Private Practices patients Alma Hawdon, ITC Care Coordinator – ATSICHS Mackay patients Thelma Fry, and Indigenous Health Project Officer/Team Leader Sharni Scott-Knight. Image source: PHN Northern Queensland website.

GPs key to overcoming immunisation misinformation

AMA President Professor Steve Robson says support for general practitioners (GPs) in continuing to play the lead role in vaccinating the community must be at the heart of Australia’s next National Immunisation Strategy. In its submission, available here, to the federal government’s public consultation on the 2025–2030 National Immunisation Strategy, the AMA has highlighted the critical role GPs have played in the achievement of world leading rates of vaccination in Australia and calls for this to be strengthened even further. Prof Robson said the situation around the world was concerning, as a drop in childhood vaccinations is driving a global resurgence of measles and other infectious diseases.

“Australia’s world-leading National Immunisation Program has led to an exceptionally high rate of childhood immunisation, but there are many challenges to overcome on the path to the national coverage target of 95%,” Professor Robson said. “We are unfortunately still seeing misinformation about vaccines spreading like wildfire on social media, while a mixture of vaccine hesitancy and fatigue set in following the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Data shows immunisation rates are falling among Australia’s most vulnerable cohorts, including the elderly and children, amid a significant rise of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, influenza, RSV and whooping cough this winter. “GPs have proven to be the best at ensuring Australians receive their vaccinations in a safe and timely manner, as shown by the impressive growth in vaccination rates over the past 25 years,” Professor Robson said. “This is because GPs spend time with patients to answer questions and discuss any concerns a patient might have, helping to counter the rise of dangerous misinformation.”

To view the AMA’s media release GPs critical to overcoming vaccine misinformation and fatigue in full click here.

Utju (Areyonga) NT resident receiving a vaccination

Residents in the remote NT community of Utju (Areyonga) were proud of the community’s vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Samantha Jonscher, ABC Alice Springs.

Healthcare workforce growing slower than demand

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) report Australian’s Health 2024 shows Australia’s healthcare system is facing increasing strain despite record resourcing. Despite workforce growth, increasing demand on the healthcare system has led to a shortage of healthcare workers across the country. Four out of five (82%) of health occupations were in shortage in 2023, with particularly acute shortages of general practitioners, nurses and mental health professionals.

The report gives three main reasons for the growth in healthcare demand: an aging population, rising concerns about mental health, and redistribution. As people age, there is a higher prevalence of chronic conditions and a greater need for medical care. AIHW CEO Zoran Bolevich said “Chronic conditions present a key challenge for individuals, health providers and society as a whole. Individuals with chronic conditions often have complex needs that require services from all levels of the health system.”

AIHW reports routinely show the relationship between healthcare quality and proximity to a major city is almost linear. The cost of programs that redistribute health resources to under-serviced areas increases costs to the system as a whole. Health inequalities persist for many population groups in Australia — including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people living in rural and remote communities.

To view The Mandarin article AIHW data shows healthcare workforce growing slower than demand in full click here.

Shield yourself from shingles – what you need to know

In the video below Dr Richard Mills (GP) speaks with Trina Scott (Registered Nurse and Bundjalung woman) about the shingles vaccine, Shingrix, that’s just been made free for nearly 5 million eligible Australians. Dr Mills has been a GP for over 30 years with half that time spent working as a GP for an ACCHO in Qld and also in the NT.  Trina Scott works in primary health care, First Nations health, diabetes education and nurse navigation.

Dr Mills and Ms Scott explain what shingles is and why it’s important for people to protect themselves against shingles, especially as they get older and if they are immunocompromised. Over 95% of Australians over the age of 30 have had chickenpox. If you’ve had chickenpox as a child, there’s a good change that you’ll have shingles as an adult. About one in three people will get shingles in their lifetime with the risk increasing with age and in those 65 years and older. First Nations Australians are more likely to experience complications from shingles from the age of 50.

There are changes to the shingles vaccine under the National Immunisation Program. The shingles vaccine, Shingrix, replaced Zostavax and is available for free for a broader group of people at higher risk of serious illness. You’re eligible for the free Shingrix vaccine if you’re aged 65 years and over, you’re a First Nations person aged 50 and over, or you’re an immunocompromised adult with eligible medical conditions.

To view the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care’s webpage Shield yourself from shingles – Get your questions answered here.

Integrated PHC key oral health in remote areas

Access to oral health care for rural and remote Australians is limited, particularly for underserved populations that rely on public dental services. This includes First Nations Peoples. This is largely due to poor distribution of oral health services and a limited dental workforce supply in these areas.

Released on 20 June by Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association’s (AHHA) Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research, the Issues Brief ‘Integrating oral health into primary healthcare for improved access to oral health care for rural and remote populations’ synthesises evidence about the extent of access challenges in rural and remote Australia.

AHHA CEO Kylie Woolcock said the Issues Brief “highlights the missed opportunities for inter-professional collaboration and interoperability of oral and primary healthcare professionals, as there are no mandated data reporting, management, and sharing mechanisms between dental and broader healthcare systems.” The Issues Brief recommends improving health training for rural and remote primary healthcare professionals, allowing primary healthcare professionals to include oral health care in their scope of practice, identifying oral health as a ‘core’ primary healthcare service, increasing interoperability and data sharing, and improving access to oral health care under Medicare for rural and remote populations.

To view the Retail Pharmacy article Integrated Primary Health Care key to oral health improvement in rural and remote Australia in full click here.

UQ Dental Clinic in Dalby; Aboriginal man receiving treatment

University of Queensland Dental Clinic in Dalby. Photo: Laura Cocks, BC Southern Qld.

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.

2 July 2024

The NACCHO Sector 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.

MJA Special Issue in partnership with the Lowitja Institute: Centring Indigenous Knowledges

The Medical Journal of Australia’s ‘Special Issue in partnership with the Lowitja Institute: centring Indigenous knowledges’ has been timed to coincide with NAIDOC week — with the theme “Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud” — and recognises and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and excellence in health and medical research. This article is a collaboration between the MJA Editorial Team and the Guest Editors, where we jointly reflect on the thinking and processes behind this Special Issue.

Scholarly publishing sits at the core of issues of power, privilege, and the production of knowledge in health and medicine. As Australia’s national medical journal, the MJA plays important roles not only in knowledge dissemination, but also in defining, legitimising and validating what types of knowledge matter in health and medical research, practice and policy making. To date, the Journal predominantly operated from a biomedical perspective that has embedded colonial practices, norms and assumptions that produce and sustain inequalities in health and unjust outcomes for Indigenous Australians. This inaugural collaboration between the Lowitja Institute and the MJA stems from the recognition that currently “Indigenous health research in Australia is largely informed by non‐Indigenous world views, led by non‐Indigenous people, and undertaken in non‐Indigenous organisations.”

To read the Special Issue in partnership with the Lowitja Institute: centring Indigenous knowledges, go here.

Image source: The Medical Journal of Australia.

Implementing the cultural determinants of health: our knowledges and cultures in a health system that is not free of racism

In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health outcomes remain unjustifiably poor, with policy making requiring urgent reframing. Policies produced and implemented by policy makers and health care providers are being dominated by Western European Australian biomedical knowledge systems. If we are to reform a health system that is failing to reduce health inequities and is not free of racism, the cultural determinants of health (CDoH), which are the knowledges and cultures held and owned by Indigenous peoples, must be front and centre to transforming government services.

When designing, implementing and evaluating policies and services, power sharing, underpinned by doing things with, and not to, Indigenous people, is critical, while brokering systems change that guarantees:

  • privileging of Indigenous voices, control, direction and codesign;
  • leadership by and collaboration with Indigenous scholars and experts; and
  • greater self‐determination, decision making, governance and control by Indigenous Peoples, who are the disruptors, deconstructors and decolonisers of Western knowledge systems and cultures.

To read the full article in the Centering Indigenous Knowledges special edition, go here.

Image source: Shutterstock.

Coalition of Peaks invites community input on new partnership

The Coalition of Peaks has called for community input on a new partnership to grow employment, training and business opportunities.

“Have you had trouble getting a loan for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander-owned business? Do mainstream employment services meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jobseekers?” – are just two of the questions the Coalition of Peaks, which represents more than 80 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled peak organisations, is asking through a series of online workshops, a survey, and a call for submissions.

The Coalition said the engagements, which end 7 July, will help shape a First Nations Economic Partnership, to which the federal government committed in September last year.

The survey asks people to identify priorities for the partnership and who should represent them, and is open to anyone who wants to respond.

First Nations Economic Partnership Working Group chair Jamie Lowe said the partnership would aim to improve economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“The partnership will focus on the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations, supporting job creation and translating our knowledge, assets, and rights into sustainable benefits,” said Mr Lowe, who is also CEO of the National Native Title Council.

Coalition of Peaks lead convenor Catherine Liddle said shared-decision making was a cornerstone of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

“Formal partnerships between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander bodies on key policy areas such as this are one important avenue for shared-decision making,” said Ms Liddle, who is also chief executive of SNIACC – National Voice for Our Children.

“This is not another government-led inquiry, advisory body or consultation. Policy partnerships require governments to relinquish some power and come to decisions by consensus with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives.

“This new way of working ensures parties can regularly and directly meet with senior government officials on equal footing, and governments are required to report on progress.”

The Coalition of Peaks and Commonwealth Treasury are working together to shape the partnership and its priorities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, businesses and individual community members are invited to get involved.

“Your involvement will be invaluable in making this a truly equitable partnership that focuses on the right areas for reform to achieve economic justice for our people,” Mr Lowe said.

The community is invited to fill out a survey or make a submission before 7 July.

To read the National Indigenous Times article, go here.

Coalition of Peaks council members with federal, state and territory ministers. Image: Coalition of Peaks.

National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities

The Australian Government is developing a national strategy for food security in remote First Nations communities (the Strategy) in a partnership with state and territory governments and First Nations health organisations.

To help shape the final Strategy and suite of actions, the Australian Government, state and territory governments and First Nations health organisations are seeking feedback. Consultation is open now and will close 11 August 2024. More information and consultation documents are available on the National Indigenous Australians Agency Website.

You can provide feedback in a number of ways. Consultations include regional forums, discussions in remote communities and feedback via online submissions. In-person consultations will be facilitated by PwC Indigenous Consulting.

Make an online submission or register to attend a forum here. Make sure you have your say before consultations close Sunday, 11 August 2024.

The consultation team is also visiting remote communities in July and early August to hear from residents and community-based organisations. The consultation team are working with remote communities on timing and delivery of community visits.

Image: The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre.

Increasing breast screening

Breast screening amongst Aboriginal women in the Edward River region is the highest in NSW, thanks to the efforts of the Deniliquin Local Aboriginal Land Council. As a partner in the award-winning Aboriginal led invitations and bra lift breast screen participation project, its staff have driven positive health outcomes in the district. DLALC has partnered with Murrumbidgee Local Health District, Breast Screen NSW Greater Southern (BSGS) and Support the Girls to run the project in the local area.

The program also runs in the Albury region, and has been such a success in both areas that it received the Exceptional Aboriginal Health Care Award at this year’s MLHD Excellence Awards.

The project was designed to harness the local knowledge of community members, tailoring support appropriately for women who needed transport to and from screenings, more frequent reminders, or more reassurance and support.

Rather than invitations to screening coming via a letter from BreastScreen NSW, the project relied on Aboriginal partner organisations liaising with BSGS to determine which patients were overdue, due or had never screened.

Equipped with this knowledge, trusted women from Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service and Deniliquin Local Aboriginal Lands Council then called clients to have a yarn about the importance of screening, to book them in, and to note what reminders or transport support were required to overcome barriers.

To read the full article, go here.

Heather Hilliam from MLHD, Jane Holmes from Support the Girls, Karen Mobourne from the DLALC, Cheryl Penrith and Dr Elyce Green from CSU 3 Rivers. Photo by JACKIE COOPER.

Managing diabetes in Mackay

ITC program helps First Nations people access care to manage diabetes and other chronic conditions. Two new programs will be rolled out this year to help combat diabetes and other chronic conditions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is good news for the Mackay community, according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Mackay Integrated Team Care (ITC) team.

 ATSICHS Mackay Indigenous Health Project Officer Sharni Scott-Knight (nee Dorante) said the ITC team recently participated in the Diabetes Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diabetes training as well as the My Health for Life facilitator training.

“These programs are currently in the planning stages and will be rolled out in this year,” Mrs Scott-Knight said.

“The ITC team plans on providing culturally appropriate group education with our clients and motivational interviewing for health goal setting as part of the My Health for Life Health Lifestyle Program.

“We are also planning upcoming facilitator training in the Diabetes Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diabetes program which features Magnet Man, a new and improved Felt Man, to assist in one-one-one and group education on diabetes.

“This will encourage our people to maintain healthy lifestyle choices, gain health education and literacy, and self-manage their conditions.

To read the full article, go here.

Pictured from left: ITC Outreach Worker Atha Power, ITC Care Coordinator – Private Practices patients Alma Hawdon, ITC Care Coordinator – ATSICHS Mackay patients Thelma Fry, and Indigenous Health Project Officer/Team Leader Sharni Scott-Knight.

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.

25 June 2024

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.

New report calls for urgent action on diabetes prevention

Diabetes Australia’s 2024 State of the Nation report, launched at New South Wales Parliament, reveals a worsening diabetes crisis, with alarming increases in type 2 diabetes diagnoses among younger Australians.

Over the past decade, there has been a 44% rise in diagnoses among 21 to 39-year-olds and a 17% increase among those under 20. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth (15-24 years) now experience the world’s highest rates of youth-onset type 2 diabetes, with prevalence doubling in the last five years.

Diabetes Australia CEO Justine Cain expressed concern over the lack of a national diabetes prevention plan, noting that over 300 new cases are diagnosed daily. With an estimated 2 million Australians living with diabetes, Cain emphasised the urgent need for prevention efforts to protect future generations.

The report, coinciding with an upcoming Federal parliamentary inquiry, includes 25 recommendations for addressing the crisis. Key proposals include a 20% levy on sugar-sweetened beverages, promotion of type 2 diabetes remission, a national diabetes kidney screening program, increased funding for diabetes research, and new training programs for aged care staff.

To view Diabetes Australia’s media release in full, click here.
To view The State of the Nation 2024 Report, click here.

A cut boy and his mother making silly faces while in a restaurant

iStock.com / Brian Koellish

$16 million to support healthcare in rural and remote Australia

The Albanese Government is investing $16 million to support 11 innovative healthcare projects in rural and remote Australia that aim to provide a range of innovative models of care, including:

  • better care for chronic disease,
  • specialist geriatric services for older Australians,
  • culturally safe maternity care for First Nations families,
  • outreach to reduce liver disease among First Nations communities,
  • child health outreach to small rural communities,
  • mobile primary care clinics,
  • better collaboration between general practice and pharmacy,
  • better training and support for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

Projects are supported in every Australian state and the Northern Territory. This funding will support healthcare professionals to work together across disciplines in new ways, to meet the needs of people in rural and remote communities.

You can read the Department of Health and Aged Care’s media release here.
Further information on the trial projects can be found on the Department of Health and Aged Care website here.

“These trials will help build a stronger rural healthcare system, and provide better care, closer to home, for people living in the bush.”
Assistant Minister McBride

clinic in black paint with red arrow on tin on pole at side of red dusk road

Photo: Ian Waldie, Getty Images. Image source: ABC News.

Disparities persist in childhood cancer rates

Despite national and global reports of rising incidences of cancer affecting children and young people, new analysis has found rates of childhood cancer have remained unchanged over the past 30 years in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

A new analysis reveals that childhood cancer rates in South Australia and the Northern Territory have remained stable over the past 30 years, contrasting with rising incidences reported nationally and globally. Dr. Suzanne Mashtoub from the University of Adelaide and Flinders University highlighted that this stability suggests different underlying causes for childhood and young adult cancers.

The study, involving researchers from various institutions including the Telethon Kids Institute and Menzies Research Institute, examined cancer incidence and survival among children aged 19 and under from 1990 to 2017. Findings showed a significant decrease in cancer incidence among non-Indigenous children and unchanged rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with lymphocytic leukemia being the most common diagnosis.

While overall survival rates improved in South Australia, they remained steady in the Northern Territory. Despite significant improvements in survival for Indigenous children over the past 20 years, disparities persist compared to non-Indigenous children.

Dr. Justine Clark from the Telethon Kids Institute emphasised the need to address issues faced by Indigenous families in the NT, including timely diagnosis, financial and logistical barriers, and cultural safety within cancer services. She called for the healthcare system to tackle these challenges to improve cancer outcomes for Indigenous children.

To view The University of Adelaide’s media release in full, click here.
To view the report in full, click here.

Cancer can affect anyone. But the good news is, finding cancer early gives you the best chance of getting better.
Find out more at Yarn For Life.

Videos aim to help youth go vape-free

Vaping is a significant issue in the regions where Danny Allende works, with young Indigenous people statistically more likely to take it up. As the manager of Na Joomelah, a program addressing smoking and vaping among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Sydney and Wollongong, Allende notes that vaping impacts a wide demographic, including children as young as Year 2.

Na Joomelah, in collaboration with the Lung Foundation Australia and young First Nations people, has launched a series of animations to tackle vaping. These animations focus on the health impacts of vaping, as well as environmental and sporting concerns. The resources are being shared in schools, youth groups, social media, and community events.

Early results are promising, with a noticeable shift in young people’s attitudes towards vaping. Paige Preston from Lung Foundation Australia noted that three months into the pilot program, a third of participants had increased their knowledge about vaping’s harmful effects.

The success is partly attributed to the involvement of First Nations youth in the development process, ensuring the message resonates with the target audience. Na Joomelah also addresses the health of pregnant women and the broader community.

To view the full story in National Indigenous Times, click here.

Allied health key to critical health reform

Allied health professionals are an “untapped resource” essential for health reform, with a crucial focus on Aboriginal health, according to experts at a recent Western Sydney Local Health District event. Professor Beverley Harden MBE from NHS England emphasized rethinking allied health roles to address future health challenges.

Held on Dharug Country, the forum discussed leveraging allied health professionals to improve efficiency, retain workforce, and enhance patient outcomes amid an aging population and rising chronic diseases. Jacqueline Dominish of NSW Health stressed the need for system transformation to prevent future crises.

Innovations like the Rapid Assessment, Intervention, and Discharge-Emergency Department (RAID-ED) program were highlighted for improving patient satisfaction and reducing hospital admissions. Expanded roles for allied health professionals, including paramedics and Aboriginal Health Practitioners, were also discussed.

Belinda Cashman, Director of Aboriginal Health Strategy, emphasized incorporating a cultural lens into all initiatives to improve Aboriginal health outcomes and trust in the health system. She called for increasing Aboriginal representation in allied health careers and ensuring culturally appropriate care.

To view the full story on Croakey, click here.

Australian Aboriginal Ceremony, man hand with green eucalyptus branches and smoke, start a fire for a ritual rite at a community event in Adelaide, South Australia

Image source: iStock / Elena Pochesneva

Treaty inquiry slams ‘illusion of concern’ on housing

Victoria’s truth-telling inquiry has criticised the state’s lack of progress in addressing homelessness among First Nations people, who make up 3.8% of the population but account for 20% of the homeless.

State Housing Minister Harriet Shing apologised for the historical and ongoing disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities during her testimony at the Yoorrook Justice Commission.

Despite pointing to existing forums and advocating for more federal funding, Commissioner Maggie Walter and others expressed frustration with the ineffectiveness of long-standing bureaucratic measures. Shing acknowledged systemic issues but denied that the government intentionally set up the program to fail, while admitting the system’s failure.

To read the full story at SBS, click here.

Homeless person's bedding stored under a bench

Homeless person’s bedding stored under a bench

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.

24 June 2024

The NACCHO Sector 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.

Aged Care leaders commit to cultural safety

Four major Australian aged care providers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ACCO Yokai this week signalling the groups’ commitment to enhancing culturally appropriate services for Aboriginal customers. Juniper, MercyCare, Bethanie, and Hall and Prior reached the MOU with Yokai, an Aboriginal rights and Stolen Generations advocacy group.

Yokai’s CEO Jim Morrison, “It’s encouraging to see aged care organisations committing to understanding that caring for older Aboriginal people, especially Stolen Generations Survivors, should focus not only on their clinical needs but also on their cultural needs, such as their connection to Country and lived experience.”

Yokai, a term derived from the Noongar language, serves as a powerful call to action, conveying the message of ‘enough is enough’. The initiative has been collaboratively developed by the Bringing Them Home Committee (WA) and the WA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation, which serves as the representative body for Stolen Generation Survivors in WA. The work undertaken by Yokai is grounded in thorough consultation and extensive research, with the aim of achieving improved outcomes for the Aboriginal community and Stolen Generations Survivors.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Aged care leaders commit to Aboriginal cultural safety with Yokai agreement in full click here.

Russell Bricknell & Jim Morrison shake hands at culturally safe aged care MOU signing

Russell Bricknell and Jim Morrison shake hands at the MOU. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Denticare is the goal but long road ahead

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association’s (AHHA) Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research has released an issues paper titled ‘integrating oral health into primary healthcare for improved access to oral health care for rural and remote populations’, available here. The brief collated information on issues, particularly for rural and remote and Indigenous Australians, in accessing oral health care, namely maldistribution of oral health services and a constrained dental workforce supply in these areas. The brief found that integrating oral health promotion, screening and non-invasive preventive care provision into primary care could have far reaching effects.

“Primary care providers are often the first point of contact for health services in rural and remote communities and are well positioned to provide basic oral health care,” said AHHA chief executive Kylie Woolcock. “However, limited oral health knowledge and skills and boundaries to professional scopes of practice curb the possibility of leveraging existing primary healthcare resources for oral health care provision.”

According to Adjunct Associate Professor at the Menzies Centre for health policy and economics Lesley Russell while the goal should eventually be a Medicare-like support system for oral health care, “Denticare”, or incorporation of dentistry into Medicare, getting there would need to be an iterative process. In the interim, Professor Russell suggested that health checks could be broadened to include the mouth and particular populations could be supported through Medicare for oral health care, such as those with relevant chronic conditions like cancer, HIV/AIDS and diabetes – and Indigenous communities. “Ideally, you’d have a dentist or at least a dental technician within an ACCHO or a primary care practice,” she said.

To view the Medical Republic article ‘Denticare’ is the goal, but it’s a long road ahead here.

Aboriginal woman in dental chair

Image source: Central Australian Aboriginal Congress website.

National Anti-Racism Framework workshops

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is developing a National Anti-Racism Framework as a central reference point for anti-racism action by government, non-profits, businesses, communities, and other sectors. Guided by a community-led and human rights-based approach, the Commission is currently progressing national First Nations and multicultural community-level consultations to seek community advice and input on designing the Framework. These consultations are all led, designed, and facilitated by First Nations Co., and offer various modes of participation.

Following the completion of in-person consultations, First Nations Co. is excited to announce 12 virtual workshops dedicated to informing the development of a National Anti-Racism Framework. If you work in the Education, Health, or Justice sectors, your voice is crucial!

Healthcare Services, ACCHOs, Health Organisations/Departments

  • Wednesday 26 June, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (AEST)
  • Thursday 27 June, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (AEST)
  • Wednesday 3 July, 10:00 am – 11:00 am (AEST)
  • Thursday 4 July, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (AEST)

To register complete this registration form and receive your meeting invite from the First Nations Co. team.

Can’t attend? Share your insights via our online survey. Your participation is invaluable in building a framework that truly represents our community’s needs.

If needed and preferred, the First Nations Co. team is open to engaging in one-on-one virtual consultations with individuals and peak bodies, and these sessions can be arranged with First Nations Co. directly on a case-by-case basis. Written submissions are also accepted if this method is preferred.

If you have questions or want to learn more about this project, you can access the First Nations Co. website here or contact First Nations Co. by email here.

You can view NACCHO’s National Anti-Racism Framework Submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission – February 2022 here. 

Australian Human Rights Commission national Anti-Racism Framework tile, AHRC logo & circle with different colour wedges

Image source: AHRC website.

Identifying upper GI cancers GP training

The Pancare Foundation, which provides support to people impacted by a diagnosis of Upper Gastrointestinal cancer, have launched their first GP education module: Trust your gut: identifying upper gastrointestinal cancers in general practice. This comprehensive module focuses on recognising signs and symptoms for earlier detection of oesophageal and stomach cancers.

Trust Your Gut is a video-based activity, for GPs and nurses, designed to increase awareness of symptoms warranting urgent referral for stomach and oesophageal cancers. By the end of the activity, participants will be able to:

  • identify patients at high risk of oesophagogastric cancer and those who present with symptoms.
  • facilitate appropriate and timely referral of patients at risk of, or with suspected, oesophagogastric cancer for further investigations and/or specialist intervention.

You can access the GP module here and the nurse module here.

You can view a flyer for the education modules here.

More support for birthing on Country

More First Nations families now have access to culturally safe maternal healthcare in NE Arnhem Land thanks to a growing workforce of Djäkamirr. Djäkamirr are First Nations skilled companions and caretakers of pregnancy and birth, who use both Yolŋu and western knowledge to support women in Birthing on Country.

First Nations women and their babies experience poorer health outcomes compared to non-Indigenous mothers and their babies. The rate of preterm birth in First Nations mothers is almost double that of non-Indigenous mothers (14.1% in First Nations mothers, compared with 7.9% in non-Indigenous mothers in 2021).

The federal government said in a statement yesterday (Sunday, 23 June 2024) that as part of its commitment to Closing the Gap, it is investing $6m in funding in the Djäkamirr Birthing on Country Project in Galiwin’ku. Molly Wardaguga Institute for First Nations Birth Rights director of research and innovation, Professor Sue Kildea, said the initiative “is an absolute game changer that is likely to have lifelong impact and change the way we deliver services across Australia – a landmark in cultural recognition and the blending of western and Yolŋu knowledges and culture.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Funding boost for maternal healthcare in North East Arnhem Land in full click here.

Aboriginal mum & baby

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Millions unknowingly at risk of heart failure

Heart failure is estimated to affect approximately half a million Australians, with over 67,000 Australians being diagnosed each year. Heart failure patients often suffer from multiple comorbidities (cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular), such as an irregular heart rate or rhythm, high blood pressure, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, iron deficiency, and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. A new survey commissioned by YouGov, on behalf of leading charity Hearts4heart, indicates more than four million Australians are not aware of the comorbidities that can increase the risk of heart failure.

Despite the name, heart failure doesn’t mean the heart has stopped or failed, it means that the heart is ‘failing’ to keep up with the body’s demands. A comorbidity, which is any co-existing health condition, is one contributing factor to heart failure if not properly managed so, it’s essential to speak to your GP to understand your risks and treat any underlying medical conditions you may have.

In May 2023, the Heart Health Check program, subsidised by Medicare, was extended for another two years, allowing people aged 45 and over and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 30 and over to assess their risk of heart disease during a 20-minute consultation with a medical practitioner.

To view the The Heart4Heart article Millions of Australians unknowingly at increased risk of heart failure article in full click here. 

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.

3 June 2024

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.

Organ donation would be higher if more education

Leslie Schultz spent years watching birds flit past his window. But without their song in his ears, the scent of eucalypts in his nostrils nor the glorious outback sun on his back, the sight only made him homesick for the bush. For the Ngadju Elder, spending hour after hour, day after day, shut inside was one of the worst things about kidney failure. Sometimes it felt his entire life revolved around sitting in a chair, waiting for toxins to be flushed from his blood.

That was until the kindness of a stranger and their family gave him back his freedom. According to a recent inquiry, Australia’s organ donation and transplantation rates are among the lowest in the developed world, and only 36% of eligible adults are on the organ donation register. In 2022, 34 people died while on the waiting list for an organ.

Indigenous West Australians are among those most impacted by the shortfall. The community experiences chronic kidney disease at almost seven times the rate of the wider population — the biggest disparity of all Australian jurisdictions — yet, for a range of complex reasons, are far less likely to ever have the life-saving procedure.

To view the ABC News article Organ donation content rates would be better if there were more education about it, advocate says in full click here.

older ATSI man Leslie Schultz in hospital for kidney transplant

Leslie Schultz had his transplant about three years ago. Photo supplied by: Les Schultz. Image source: ABC News.

NT remote communities way behind on menstrual health

The NT is “behind the rest of Australia” regarding period health, claims a leading menstrual health advocate, who is calling on the Lawler government to make tampons and pads more accessible for remote communities. The claim comes after the Albanese government pledged $12.5m in period products toward remote Indigenous communities as part of the 2024–25 Budget announced in May. Rochelle Courtenay, who founded Share the Dignity – a not-for-profit charity dedicated to making period products accessible to vulnerable women says “The top half of Australia is where we spend most of our (organisation’s) money supporting women.”

This year, Share the Dignity launched a nationwide survey – the Big Bloody Survey – to understand the issues that Australian women face. The survey, which remains live, has garnered more than 150,000 responses so far, however less than 2,000 of the respondents were Territory-based. “There are barriers – not everyone has a laptop or even knows there is an online survey and because of that we don’t hear their voice.” Ms Courtenay said the survey’s preliminary findings were “really sad”. “So far, we know more than 25% of Australian women can’t afford period products and we know that in remote Indigenous communities this is much higher,” she said.

NT Health Minister Selena Uibo said her government had facilitated and signed 15 Local Decision Agreements where the community voices their priorities and are involved in solutions that work for their communities, which often include health priorities. “As part of this, close to half the Territory’s remote primary health centres are run by ACCHOs with local leadership for decision making.” Ms Courtenay, however, said the Territory had engaged with her organisation the least of any jurisdiction and maintained she would reapproach the NT government in the coming months.

The above is an extract from the article Northern Territory’s remote communities ‘way behind’ on menstrual health, says Share the Dignity founder published in the NT News yesterday, 2 June 2024.

NT Health Minister Selena Uibo

NT Health Minister Selena Uibo says the government has empowered local communities to make decisions around health issues. Image source: NT News.

Health campus native landscape use improving wellbeing

Health campuses across Australia can improve wellbeing for both patients and staff by incorporating the natural environment using biophilic design. Biophilic design is an architectural approach to the built environment that enhances human function through nurturing connectivity with nature. It seeks to improve cultural security and health outcomes for Indigenous peoples who are over-represented in Australian hospitals.

A volunteer project at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) is using native landscapes to adapt to climate while enhancing wellbeing, Indigenous cultural security and local biodiversity. Hospital-based care at RDH may be world-class from a Western perspective, but imposes cultural challenges for Indigenous patients who constitute almost 31% of the NT’s population but 56% of inpatients and 83% of renal dialysis patients. National Indigenous rates of “discharge against medical advice” are five times higher than than non-Indigenous rates, reflecting culturally unsafe hospital environments.

The causes for this disparity are complex, but encompass patients reporting loneliness, isolation and lack of cultural safety. 70% of Territorians who live remotely are Indigenous and reside in one of 600 communities or remote outstations. Access to specialist care by these patients comes at a price: separation from country, supportive family networks and place-based spiritual, cultural and healing practices that include the use of bush medicines. Many Indigenous patients prefer to sit outside where they can also avoid constraint by walls and the built environment. This creates a double jeopardy of reducing access to health care that the Western paradigm restricts to hospital interiors, and socialises the perverse view of Indigenous “non-compliance” with ward-based care.

To view the InSight+ article Top End hospital leads the green revolution in health care in full click here.

vegetation planted at the Royal Darwin Hospital

Vegetation planted at the Royal Darwin Hospital. Photo: Mark de Souza. Image source: InSight+.

Football team missing three future leaders this season

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of their family. This article also contains references to suicide.

Kids and teenagers flock to an AFL field of a coastal Aboriginal community, 1,000 kms east of Darwin to watch the men of the Djarrak football club. Run by Elders of the Rirratjiŋu clan, Djarrak is one of four Aussie Rules clubs on the Gove Peninsula, where kids grow up on the sidelines of the footy field. But three of the club’s brightest leaders will be missing this season. The three Yolŋu men died in a series of sudden tragedies last year. The health crisis in north-east Arnhem Land is also playing out in First Nations communities across the NT and Australia. According to the AIHW, of the 10 Indigenous regions in Australia with the highest rates of avoidable deaths in 2018, six were in the NT.

Steve Rossingh, CEO of Miwatj Health, an ACCHO in NE Arnhem Land says that without the strong cultural leadership of Elders Yolŋu health would be far worse. But Mr Rossingh says barriers in the region including severe overcrowding, limited job opportunities, feelings of disempowerment and the impacts of colonialism and racism make it difficult to have a healthy lifestyle. “If you wanted to nail it onto one thing, it’s that people are living in poverty – which is really hard to believe in a first-world country like Australia, that we’ve got big cohorts in pockets of the country where people are living in poverty,” he says.

And when Yolŋu die young, Mr Rossingh says, the impacts ripple throughout the community, “They are the future leaders, and the less future potential leaders you have, the greater the difficulty in maintaining culture and maintaining order within communities.”

To view the ABC News article Arnhem Land football team without three future leaders this season following series of sudden tragedies in full click here.

Miwatj Health workers at a health promotion stand at the scratch match

Miwatj Health workers at a health promotion stand at the scratch match. Photo: Lillian Rangiah, ABC News.

If you need someone to talk to, call:

Call for First Nations Board member EOIs

The Australian Physiotherapy Council (the Council) is the accreditation authority for physiotherapy education and overseas practitioners who wish to practice physiotherapy in Australia. The Council’s purpose of ‘Ensuring tomorrow’s physiotherapy workforce through providing world class accreditation and assessment services’ is underpinned by a passionate and committed team of people.

As part of their ongoing commitment to diversity and representation, the Council are currently recruiting several Board member roles, including another First Nations Board member to join their Chair Elect Michael Reynolds.

For more details about the role and the application process, please refer to the Call for Expression of Interest, here. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Council’s Company Secretary Emily Wiltshire here.

Australian Physiotherapy Council logo & vector image ATSI hand holding weight tile from CAAC physiotherapy webpage

Image sources: Australian Physiotherapy Council website; Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Physiotherapy webpage.

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.

Mabo Day – 3 June 2024

 

Mabo Day is marked annually on 3 June. It commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius, or ‘land belonging to no-one’. Short for Mabo and others v Queensland (No 2) (1992), the Mabo case, led by Eddie Koiki Mabo, an activist for the 1967 Referendum, fought the legal concept that Australia and the Torres Strait Islands were not owned by Indigenous peoples because they did not ‘use’ the land in ways Europeans believed constituted some kind of legal possession.

Despite the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples occupied the land, spoke their own languages and had their own laws and customs before the British arrived in 1788, ‘Terra nullis’ was an attempt to give ‘legitimacy’ for the British and Australian governments to allow the dispossession of all Indigenous peoples of their land. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also had – and continue to have – a strong connection to ‘Country’ – the Australian land.

The Mabo case was heard over ten years, starting in the Queensland Supreme Court and progressed through to the High Court of Australia. Following the Mabo decision, Australia’s Federal Parliament passed the Native Title Act 1993 which established a legal framework for native title claims throughout Australia by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Sadly, Eddie Mabo died 5 months before the historic decision came on 3 June 1992 that ‘native title’ did exist.

You can find more information about Mabo Day and Native Title on the Reconciliation Australia website here.

artwork of Eddie Mabo by Gordon Bennett

Eddie Mabo by Gordon Bennett 1996. Image source: Queensland Art Gallery website.

World Eating Disorders Action Day – 2 June 2024

World Eating Disorders Action Day is a grassroots movement designed for and by people affected by an eating disorder, their families, and the medical and health professionals who support them. Uniting activists across the globe, the aim is to expand global awareness of eating disorders as genetically linked, treatable illnesses that can affect anyone. The below list contains nine truths about eating disorders:

  • Many people with eating disorders may look healthy, yet they may be extremely ill.
  • Families are not to blame, and can be the patients and providers best allies in treatment.
  • An eating disorder diagnosis is a health crisis that disrupts personal and family functioning.
  • Eating disorders are not choices, but serious biologically influenced illnesses.
  • Eating disorders affect people of all genders, ages, races, ethnicities, body shapes, weights, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
  • Eating disorders carry an increased risk for both suicide and medical complications.
  • Genes and environment play important roles in the development of eating disorders.
  • Genes do not predict who will develop eating disorders.
  • Full recovery from an eating disorder is possible. Early detection and intervention are important.

You can find more information about eating disorders, including resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, on the Butterfly Foundation website here.

29 April 2024

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.

Danila Dilba hosts Timor Leste delegation

Limited resources including chronic understaffing, with health clinics that are supposed to have five staff making do with one or two. A population that struggles with literacy, poverty and inclusion, worsening health outcomes. Geographic barriers, both in delivering health services and accessing them. Dependency on other jurisdictions to accept referrals in serious cases. One might be mistaken for thinking this is a description of the NT’s health system, but in fact this is a description of the challenges facing one of our nearest neighbours, Timor Leste.

However, the parallels are undeniable and it is why, last Friday Darwin’s Danila Dilba Health Service, an ACCHO that services 17,000 clients and has a workforce of 220, hosted a high-level delegation from the island nation, including its Health Minister, Dr Élia A.A. dos Reis Amaral.

Danila Dilba CEO Rob McPhee said the heart of the ACCHO model was that it is “community-driven, they are run by the community. Our clients always see an Aboriginal person before they see any other clinician. That immediately establishes rapport. It aids with cultural safety and communication as well. Often they [the Aboriginal health practitioner] will know the family or they’ll be able to understand the circumstances of that individual, so it creates this whole lot of understanding right at the beginning of the process, and I think that’s what we can share with place like Timor Leste.

The above is an extract from the article Danila Dilba Health Service hosts Timor Leste delegation seeking solution to health struggles published in the Cairns Post yesterday, 28 April 2024.

Danila Dilba Health Service chairwoman Carol Stanislaus with Timor Leste's Health Minister, Dr Elia A.A. dos Reis Amaral

Danila Dilba Health Service chairwoman Carol Stanislaus with Timor Leste’s Health Minister, Dr Elia A.A. dos Reis Amaral, April 26, 2024. Photo: Alex Treacy. Image source: Cairns Post.

Youth suicide appalling blot on national conscience

Content warning: This article contains reference to suicide. Please refer to the services at the bottom of this article for support.

The death of a 10-year-old boy in foster care is a grimly familiar one. Existing ‘prevention schemes’ aren’t preventing anything and must be reformed. A 10-year-old Indigenous child dies in apparent suicide in WA. Family and community are devastated and the incident is so utterly awful – the child so young – that it catches national attention. It happens in March and a month later, when it’s made public, everyone says something must be done. This wasn’t March this year. It was March 2016.

Eight years ago, the WA coroner, Ros Fogliani, held a special inquiry into the deaths of 13 Indigenous children and young people in remote WA. Fogliani made 42 recommendations – her key observation applied to every case: “The deaths of the 13 children and young persons the subject of this Inquest were all preventable.”

The rate of Indigenous suicide in this country, especially among children and especially in the north-west of WA, should sit as an appalling blot on our national conscience. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among Indigenous children nationwide. Five years ago, concluding her report, coroner Ros Fogliani said “mainstream” suicide prevention programs were still being “adapted in an endeavour to fit into a culturally relevant paradigm” instead of being properly designed “in a completely different way”.

To view The Guardian article Indigenous youth suicide is an appalling blot on Australia’s conscience in full click here.

rear of ute on WA remote Kimberley road

he death of young boy in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region is a stark reminder of policy failure. Photo: Richard Wainwright/AAP. Image source: The Guardian.

If this article brought up anything for you or someone you love, please reach out to, call or visit the online resources listed below for support:

13YARN – 13 92 76, 13yarn.org.au

Lifeline – 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue – 1300 224 636, beyondblue.org.au/forums

MensLine – 1300 789 978

Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467

More support for Cape and Torres kids

A new child development service is taking referrals for families needing the support of a speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or psychologist. Designed to assess and support children from 0–18 years with complex developmental delays and disabilities, the family-centred service has already received more than 80 referrals after community visits to Bamaga, Injinoo and Thursday Island.

Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) and the Torres Strait were identified as priority areas with higher instances of children with developmental delays, but Torres and Cape Hospital Health Service (TCHHS) said it had been determined to ensure the service could be delivered to all communities within its service footprint. TCHHS allied health manager child development service Natalie Bellew said the team would spread their travel across 34 communities.

“It is so exciting that we have begun delivering this service, and such a benefit that we are able to see these children in their home communities where they can be supported by their whole family,” Ms Bellew said. “The team will work closely with local allied health teams and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, along with our maternal and child health nurses and paediatricians.” While collaborating with local Indigenous health workers, the child development service team will also travel with a First Nations community engagement officer.

To view the Cape York Weekly article More support for Torres and Cape kids with developmental delays in full click here.

child development service team (4 women) for Cape York & Torres Strait

The child development service team will travel across 34 Cape York and Torres Strait communities to support children with developmental delays and disabilities. Image source: Cape York Weekly.

Big diabetes investigation

Tackling the growing problem of diabetes requires action on many fronts, including ensuring that Indigenous communities have affordable access to healthy foods and priority access to essential medicines that are currently in short supply, according to Associate Professor Lesley Russell, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney. Since May 2023 the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport has been conducting – at the request of the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler – an inquiry into diabetes. Submissions for this inquiry closed in August 2023 with 470 submissions, available here received.

Recognising the wide range of issues that need to be addressed as part of the broad Terms of Reference, a new series of hearings were convened for November last year and continue into 2024. The Committee travelled to Yarrabah, an Aboriginal community outside of Cairns, to hear from the local ACCHO, Gurriny Yealamucka, about its experiences with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the leading causes of the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more than three times as likely to live with diabetes and nearly five times more likely to be hospitalised with diabetes-related complications. A 2022 study showed that the burden of diabetes in the remote Aboriginal population of the NTis among the highest in the world.

You can read NACCHO’s September 2023 submission to the Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport’s Inquiry into Diabetes in full here.

To view the Croakey Health Media article The Health Wrap: a big diabetes investigation, questions for the Treasurer, primary care reforms, and the benefits of crochet in full click here.

Gurriny and Yarrabah hosted the committee members of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes

Gurriny and Yarrabah hosted the committee members of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes. Dr Jason King briefed the committee on the many social determinants that impact health in Yarrabah. Image source: Gurriny Yeaelamucka Facebook page 22 November 2023.

Guideline for assessing and managing CVD

The 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk provides updated evidence‐based recommendations for the clinical assessment and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk for primary prevention. It includes the new Australian CVD risk calculator (Aus CVD Risk Calculator), based on an equation developed from a large NZ cohort study, customised and recalibrated for the Australian population. The new guideline replaces the 2012 guideline that recommended CVD risk assessment using the Framingham risk equation.

A variety of communication formats is available to communicate CVD risk to help enable shared decision making. Healthy lifestyle modification, including smoking cessation, nutrition, physical activity and limiting alcohol, is encouraged for all individuals. Blood pressure‐lowering and lipid‐modifying pharmacotherapies should be prescribed for high risk and considered for intermediate risk individuals, unless contraindicated or clinically inappropriate. Reassessment of CVD risk should be considered within five years for individuals at low risk and within two years for those with intermediate risk. Reassessment of CVD risk is not recommended for individuals at high risk.

The updated guideline recommends assessment over a broader age range and uses the Aus CVD Risk Calculator, which replaces the previous Framingham‐based equation. It incorporates new variables: social disadvantage, diabetes‐specific risk markers, diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and use of blood pressure‐lowering and lipid‐modifying therapies. Reclassification factors are also a new addition.

The full guideline and Aus CVD Risk Calculator can be accessed here.

To view The Medical Journal of Australia article 2023 Australian guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk in full click here.

woman having blood pressure taken

Image source: Australian Journal of General Practice.

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.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work – 28 April 2024

Yesterday, Sunday 28 April 2024 was World Day for Safety and Health at Work (World Day). The latest data shows that in 2022, 195 workers in Australia were fatally injured at work. This concerning statistic amplifies the importance of increasing awareness around work health and safety (WHS) to prevent work-related injuries and fatalities.

In 2024, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) World Day theme explores the impacts of climate change on occupational safety and health.  The theme recognises that changing weather patterns can create WHS risks. Heat, flooding, and extreme weather events are increasingly likely to disrupt the normal operation of many businesses.

In addition, new technologies and industries in decarbonisation and the circular economy are emerging, creating new roles. Climate change, increasing urbanisation and proximity of humans and animals have also led to the emergence of novel infectious diseases and increased the transmission and spread of other diseases.

You can find more information about World Day for Safety and Health at Work on the International Labour Organization website here.

tile of globe with yellow hard hat & text 'World Day for Safety and Health at Work'

Image source: iStock.

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024. 

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

  • Delegation of powers 
  • Finance for Boards
  • Governance documents
  • Managing conflicts of interest 
  • Managing risk  
  • Principles of good governance  
  • Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.

22 April 2024

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.

Overcrowding under scrutiny amid flu outbreak

A flu outbreak in the Far North Qld Indigenous community of Yarrabah has put the issue of housing in the spotlight. Grandmother Cheryl Flanders is still recovering from a debilitating case of the flu. The Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Bundjalung woman says she lived with the virus for three weeks. “I couldn’t move. Every bone, every joint in my body was aching. I really suffered.” She suspects she contracted the virus from one of her three grandchildren, who are all living in the same home.

At the town’s ACCHO, Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service (GYHS), staff have seen a significant spike in people presenting with flu-like symptoms. GYHS CEO Suzanne Andrews said, “Every year, this time of year around flu time, we do have a high uptake of mob getting the flu. We’re asking people now that we have vaccines, come and get vaccinated so you can fight flu like symptoms. It’s a big social issue particularly in Yarrabah where there is overcrowding that does make you more susceptible to getting the flu.”

It’s put a renewed focus on housing. While Yarrabah’s population according to the census is just over 2,500, health authorities estimate that figure is closer to 4,500. Community leaders like Father Leslie Baird say it’s not uncommon for multiple families to live in one dwelling. “If any outbreaks happen in the community, then the whole community is at a higher risk than what Cairns or Gordon Vale or any other place would be, because of the housing problems we have here. We have a need for at least 300 new homes, there’s only 400 homes for a community of 4,000 people.” 

Father Baird says overcrowding has been an issue in Yarrabah for years. “If the housing problem is not fully addressed, then we will always be at higher risk than any other place in Australia. The government needs to begin to listen because we have the Yarrabah leaders forum which is our voice for the community which speaks to state and federal government.”

To listen to the SBS News First Nations First podcast episode Overcrowded housing under scrutiny amid influenza outbreak or read the transcript in full click here.

SBS News First Nations First podcast banner, text 'Overcrowded housing under scrutiny amid influenza outbreak'

Image source: SBS News.

Maari Ma opens ‘holistic’ health centre

The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) has praised the opening of another purpose-built wellness and health facility to service a small Indigenous community of Wilcannia. Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation chair Des Jones officially opened Wilcannia’s new Health and Wellbeing Centre on the banks of the Barka (Darling) River on Thursday, a project that took 11 months to complete and has been operational for three months.

Mr Jones said “To have a community-controlled, functional, purpose-built health service here is something that Maari Ma has been striving to achieve for a long time.” Mr Jones stressed a good health service for First Nations people was more than just good bricks and mortar. “It’s a holistic concept that includes the delivery of a culturally-appropriate health service, providing respect for people and respect for cultural and spiritual wellbeing,” he said. That holistic concept is being delivered here, thanks to the architects and the builder, the services that Maari Ma is providing and the staff who are here for our community.”

The wellness centre will provide GP services, chronic disease management, child and family health – including antenatal and immunisation – as well as several mental health and social services, a healing program, dietician and take visiting medical specialists such as paediatricians, endocrinologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, optometrists, ophthalmologist, psychiatrists and obstetricians. Maari Ma’s child dental service would continue at the old hospital.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Maari Ma opens ‘holistic’ health centre in Wilcannia in full click here.

ILSC board director Roy Ah-See and corporate executive director David Silcock at the opening of the new health centre

ILSC board director Roy Ah-See and corporate executive director David Silcock at the opening of the new health centre. Photo: ILSC. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

 

Awesome STI resources for mob

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has released a range of awesome resources on sexually transmissible infections (STIs):

STIs with Aaron and Tawhio – True or Gammon – 5 minute video

Aaron Fa’aoso sits down with deadly Aboriginal health practitioner, Tawhio from Tennant Creek, NT. In ‘True or Gammon’ style, they answer all your burning questions about STIs, available here.

STIs with Janty and Jecinta – True or Gammon – 6 minute video

Deadly comedian Janty Blair yarns with Aboriginal health practitioner, Jecinta from Darwin, NT. In ‘True or Gammon’ style, they shed light on some myths about STIs, available here.

Got burning questions about STIs with Janty – True or Gammon – Poster 1

True or Gammon poster encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to talk with a health worker about getting tested, available here.

Safe sex a prickly subject? – True or Gammon – Social animation

A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.

Got the kind of crabs that aren’t good for eating? – True or Gammon – Social animation

A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.

Got a slippery question about what’s on your budoo? – True or Gammon – Social animation

A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.

Got burning questions about STIs? – Green – True or Gammon – Poster 4

True or Gammon poster encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to talk with a health worker about getting tested, available here.

A rash down below got you in a flap? – True or Gammon – Social animation

A 15-second video animation to share on your social channels to encourage yarning with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, available here.

Too Deadly for Diabetes program to go national

A home-grown program for helping patients with Type 2 diabetes will soon inform nationwide policy after years of success in small-town communities. The health and lifestyle program Too Deadly for Diabetes (TDFD) was developed by Gomeroi man Ray Kelly with the hopes of reversing diabetes in local Indigenous communities. “Our participants are seeing improvements in their blood sugar and blood pressure within days,” Mr Kelly said. “It also has a great flow on effect for the community, with the participants’ family and friends being inspired along with the health care professionals providing the program.”

Operated primarily through local Aboriginal Medical Services, TDFD has been making waves since its inception in back in 2017. Having a culturally-informed approach to tackling the disease is essential, as Indigenous Australians suffer higher rates of diabetes as well as a higher rate of hospitalisation and death from diabetes than non-Indigenous Australians.

The 10-week program focuses on sustainable weight loss, healthy eating, and physical activity; key components in managing and preventing Type 2 diabetes. “Across NSW we’ve worked with 16 communities so far and they’ve lost more than 5800 kilos in total,” Mr Kelly said, After catching the attention of the NSW government, Mr Kelly’s program received a significant funding boost in August 2023, enabling its expansion into more communities across the state, including Tamworth and Werris Creek.

The above is an extract from the article Home-grown health program goes national to tackle diabetes crisis published in The Northern Daily Leader earlier today (22 April 2024).

You can find more information about the TDFD program on the TDFD website here.

NSW Regional Health Minister & Too Deadly for Diabetes program director Ray Kelly outside TAMS

NSW Regional Health Minister Ryan Park and Too Deadly for Diabetes program director Ray Kelly outside the Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service. Picture supplied by the office of Hon Ryan Park MP. Image source: The Northern Daily Leader.

Program helps young men get life back on track

When Jahdai Vigona and Danté Rodrigues were heading down the wrong path after high school, they had two options: keep going or make a change. They chose the latter, and ever since they have been working tirelessly to improve the mental and physical health of Indigenous men in their community.

The two cousins, who are are both proud Tiwi Islands men, say that with the help of mentors, family members and positive role models, they were able to turn things around for themselves, and hope to do the same for others. “Jahdai and I grew up around a lot of things like domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse and crime and for a while we were even going off on our own wrong path,” Danté says. “I’m only 22 and I’ve lost more friends and family than I can count,” Jahdai adds. “I’ve attended more funerals than weddings in my lifetime. That’s just the harsh reality for someone like me coming from the NT.”

Jahdai and Danté decided to take matters into their own hands — or boxing gloves. “How can you expect someone to be a good person, if you don’t teach them how to be,” Danté says. “We are lucky that we had a lot of positive role models to help us, but for a lot of people in the NT, Indigenous or not, they just don’t have that support.” With their One Percent program, they try to help young Indigenous men in the NT become better versions of themselves day by day, 1% at a time.

To view the ABC News article How two cousins from the NT formed the One Percent Program to help young men get their lives back on track in full click here.

Founders of the One Percent Program Jahdai and Danté sitting on concrete steps outside a building

Jahdai and Danté have used their own personal experiences and backgrounds to develop the program. Photo: Leah White, ABC News.

Commonwealth supports justice reinvestment initiatives

Ten justice reinvestment programs have secured support through the federal government’s First Nations justice package. Announced last Friday (19 April 2024) the community-led initiatives follow nine initial grants delivered under the package in February. They form part of the federal government’s $109m First Nations justice package, with $79m allocated to support up to 30 community-led justice reinvestment initiatives in First Nations communities across Australia. The investment marks the largest commitment to justice reinvestment ever delivered by the Commonwealth.

Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said the initiative will deliver place-based projects to improve lives, support safer communities and help to close the gap.”Justice Reinvestment is all about putting First Nations communities front and centre when it comes to preventing contact with the criminal justice system,” Ms Burney said. “Communities can work together with local police, organisations, education and health services and local government to drive local solutions.”

Justice reinvestment is a long-term, community-led approach to preventing crime, improving community safety and reducing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and children in custody. Following assessment by an independent panel, ten community-led justice reinvestment initiatives have been selected across the NT, Qld, SA, WA and NSW. Applications for funding under the federal government’s justice reinvestment programs remain open year-round, with communities encouraged to apply via the GRANTS.GOV website here when they are ready to do so.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Community-led justice reinvestment initiatives secure commonwealth support in full click here.

Linda Burney portrait shot

Linda Burney said projects announced under the federal government’s justice reinvestment initiative will deliver place-based projects to improve lives, support safer communities and help to close the gap. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

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.

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are open now for Perth: 16-17 April 2024. 

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

  • Delegation of powers 
  • Finance for Boards
  • Governance documents
  • Managing conflicts of interest 
  • Managing risk  
  • Principles of good governance  
  • Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.

22 March 2024

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.

SHPA meets up with NACCHO on Close the Gap Day

NACCHO and The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) have collaborated for years to achieve medicines access equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across all healthcare settings, especially in hospitals. In recent years, NACCHO and SHPA have made the case for public hospital pharmacies to be included in the Closing the Gap PBS Co-payment program, so that they can supply important medicines to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when discharged from hospitals while removing cost barriers. In 2023, the Australian Senate agreed to this, and a recent Department of Health and Aged Care report also supported this. NACCHO and SHPA will continue to collaborate to see this policy change be adopted and implemented.

On National Close the Gap Day, SHPA met up with NACCHO to discuss other programs and policies that impact medicines access and use for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. SHPA was also proud to provide a copy of its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to NACCHO, launched last year, which proudly describes SHPA’s commitment to engage and collaborate with NACCHO to strengthen our shared policy positions.

You can find more detail about the CTG PBS Co-payment program on the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care website here.

Mike Stephens with Jerry Yik holding SHPA RAP

Mike Stephens, NACCHO Director, Medicines Policy and Programs with Jerry Yik holding SHPA’s RAP.

Delivering dialysis in remote communities webinar

From 4–5pm (Canberra time) Tuesday 26 March, NACCHO is hosting a webinar with staff from Purple House and Kimberley Renal Services to describe some key things to consider when establishing a dialysis unit for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and give an opportunity to ask questions.

This is to support communities submitting an Expression of Interest for nurse-led dialysis units in remote communities as part of the Better Renal Services commitment. This commitment is for up to 30 four-chair dialysis units for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with end-stage kidney disease.

You can register for the webinar here.

2 images: outback & dialysis chair; NACCHO logo; text "Delivering diaysis in remote communities webinar - Join us Tuesday 26 March - 4-5 pm (Canberra Time)

World Indigenous Cancer Conference

The third World Indigenous Cancer Conference took place in Naarm (Melbourne) this week, 17–20 March. It was a packed house, with around 540 very enthusiastic attendees from Australia, Canada, France, NZ, Sweden, the UK, and the US, who have chosen to work to achieve equity in cancer outcomes for their Peoples.

Conference attendee Waulu McCartney, a proud Wamba Wamba Wurundjeri woman from Victoria, said “I like working with my people – in health promotion, health awareness and their keeping information up to date so they can make informed decisions for their own care. It means a lot when you’re helping your own people.” McCartney shared her personal connection with cancer, motivating the work that she does as a project officer in chronic health with VACCHO, “I’ve had multiple family members that have had cancer in the past. My grandmother had lung cancer, my dad has had multiple skin cancers chopped out, my mum has had skin cancers chopped out, multiple family members that have passed away from cancer, had cancer or they are fighting cancer at the moment. It is big in community. People don’t talk about it but, once you ask the question, you realise how prevalent it is in community.”

Another conference attendee, Kiandra Brown, a Gunditjmara woman, is also a project officer in chronic health with VACCHO. Brown, who works on the Beautiful Shawl Project, a community-led initiative in breast screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women said, “I’ve grown up in the community, working with community and a lot of my family work in the health sector, and I have family affected by health issues so that motivates me to do this work. Working on the beautiful shawl and seeing the work that we do and the results of it, it’s that saying ‘Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands’ that just keeps me going.”

To view the Croakey Health Media article What is at the heart of our work to improve cancer outcomes? First Nations Peoples share stories and motivations in full click here.

VACCHO trade table at cancer conference

VACCHO staff at the conference. Image: Danielle Manton. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

Qld students complete anti-tobacco program

A total of 18 participants from Gympie State High School attended and successfully completed The Deadly Choices 6-week senior anti-tobacco program. North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health says it aims to “educate more young people in the coming school terms about the importance of tobacco awareness and the dangers of vaping, “We hope this program will further support out ongoing No Durri for This Murri campaign, which was been highly successful along the coast and is widely recognised across the state.”

The Deadly Choices Tobacco Education Program explores the historical journey of tobacco use, its acceptance, and its impacts on community. Promoting key behavioural change through education around smoking, is a way of empowering youth towards informed decision making and avoiding the harmful impacts of smoking and vaping.

It’s hoped graduates of the program will advocate against smoking among their peers and likewise be equipped to support peers, family and community members to start their quit journey. Deadly Choices envisions this program will lead to happier, healthier Mob, as well as creating smoke-free environments.

Learn more about the Deadly Choices Tobacco Education Program here.

Gympie State High School participants of The Deadly Choices 6-week senior ant-tobacco program

Gympie State High School participants of The Deadly Choices 6-week senior ant-tobacco program.

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.

Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day

Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day (LSAD) is held on 22 March every year. It is a day to honour all those affected, at risk, or who have a mutation that causes Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome (previously known as HNPCC – Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer) is an inherited genetic mutation which gives people an increased risk of developing certain types of cancers throughout their lifetime.

Every person inherits genes from both their parents and Lynch syndrome is caused by a fault in a gene that normally functions to protect a person from getting cancer (known as the ‘mismatch repair’ genes). The ‘faulty’ gene increases a carrier’s risk of developing brain, colon, kidney, liver, skin, stomach, and uterine cancers. Where it runs in a family, Lynch syndrome can present itself as many different cancers across multiple family members.

People with Lynch syndrome, for example, have a 70-90% risk of developing bowel cancer. Around 30% of bowel cancer patients have a family history or genetic inheritance, both of which significantly increase a person’s risk of developing bowel cancer. If a person is diagnosed with Lynch syndrome their parents, children, and siblings have a 50% chance of having bowel cancer. Other blood relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews) are also at increased risk. Identifying people that are carriers of Lynch syndrome allows for early and increased surveillance, the option of preventative surgery and the ability to determine increased cancer risk in the extended family.

You can find more information about Lynch syndrome here, and read a related AMA InSight+ article Lynch syndrome: the cancer risk nobody’s heard of here.

NACCHO created tile for Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day 22 March 2024 You Are Not Alone, Get Tested, Be Informed; Lynch Syndrome logo

World Water Day

World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on 22 March every year to highlight the importance of fresh water and promote the responsible use of water and access to safe water for everyone.

Water can create peace or spark conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries. More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water. As climate change impacts increase, and populations grow, there is an urgent need, within and between countries, to unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource. Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle.

The theme of World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’. When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity, and building resilience to shared challenges. We must act upon the realisation that water is not only a resource to be used and competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life. This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.

You can find more information about World Water Day here.

You can also read the following related articles:

  • Heatwave and drought a dangerous mix for dialysis patients in remote communities – The Guardian here.
  • Bottled water trucked to remote Ali Curung Aboriginal community as drinking water crisis continues – ABC News here.
  • Delivering safe water to Aboriginal communities – Murdoch University here.
  • Survey Reveals How Unsafe Tap Water Affects an Aboriginal Community in Australia – Northwestern University Institute for Policy Research here.

tile text: 'UN Water 22 March World Water Day 2024 Water for Peace'

World Tuberculosis Day 

World Tuberculosis Day is commemorated on 22 March every year to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease

The theme of World TB Day 2024 – ‘Yes! We can end TB!’ – conveys a message of hope that getting back-on-track to turn the tide against the TB epidemic is possible through high level leadership, increased investments, and faster uptake of new World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations. Following the commitments made by Heads of State at the United Nations High Level meeting in 2023 to accelerate progress to end TB, this year’s focus shifts to turning these commitments into tangible actions.

To help countries scale-up access to TB preventive treatment, WHO will release an investment case on scaling up the roll out of TB preventive treatment.

You can find more information about World Tuberculosis Day on the WHO website here.

You can also read a related article Tuberculosis outbreak leads to 13 confirmed infections in remote South Australian communities here.

tile text: 75 Health for All; Yes! we Can EndTB - World Tuberculosis Day 2024 - 24 March - World Health Organization

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are open now for Sydney and Perth:  

  • Sydney 19–20 March 2024
  • Perth 16–17 April 2024

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

  • Delegation of powers 
  • Finance for Boards
  • Governance documents
  • Managing conflicts of interest 
  • Managing risk  
  • Principles of good governance  
  • Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.

13 March 2024

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.

Food sovereignty explained

There’s no denying that Blackfellas love a good feed. But have you ever considered the role that food can play in self-determination? We’ve seen traditional foods like warrigal greens, finger limes, lemon myrtle and pepperberry (to name a few) pop up in fancy restaurants. So, is there a way for mob to determine how traditional foods are used and who is able to profit? Adam Byrne is a Garigal/Gadigal man and the co-owner of Bush to Bowl who thinks he may have found a way. Bush to Bowl is a 100% First Nations social enterprise that aims to connect mob back to Country and traditional foodways. The organisation also aims to develop the economic position of community when it comes to our foods. Food sovereignty is an interesting concept that can be described as the right to have access to and produce sustainable, cultural and nutritional food systems.

Food sovereignty also describes the right to taking ownership and control over one’s health. Food sovereignty has been argued to restore and preserve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food systems and traditional knowledge about nutrition. For Adam, food sovereignty is all about survival and reclamation. “Food and medicines [have been] at the core of our culture and our survival for over 65,000 years. It’s about reclaiming culture, which was taken away,” he said. Adam says that food sovereignty can be a means to preserve culture and traditions, “I think food sovereignty means connection. I think it means us coming together and be closer to our culture. It’s started to become a trend for restaurants to incorporate native ingredients into their dishes and serve them up with a hefty price tag. This feeds in to a broader colonial idea that food is a commodity.”

It’s raised questions around the exploitation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and cultural practices when it comes to food. In fact, less than 2% of native foods come from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or businesses. Adam and the team at Bush to Bowl are part of that 2%. He said more representation in the industry could allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have more control over what is done with their native foods. “We have to take control of our food sovereignty because that helps with self-determination. Having more of a hold of the industry creates more opportunities for our mob to get on Country and connect to their foods,” he said.

To view the SBS NITV article EXPLAINER: What is food sovereignty and what can it look like in our communities? in full click here.

exterior of Bush to Bowl building & food growing in raised beds outside

Bush to Bowl prioritise the care-taking of Country. Image source: SBS NITV website.

Diabetes Australia welcomes cheaper medicines

People will be able to access cheaper diabetes medicines following the Albanese Government’s announcement of an increase in the number of medicines available for two-month prescriptions. The announcement covers 24 diabetes medicines including Metformin and Forxiga. Diabetes Australia Acting Group CEO, Taryn Black, said the change will save people living with diabetes up to $189 per medicine. “Diabetes is a complex condition, and living with it can be a significant burden. The expanded list of medicines lightens the load for people living with diabetes and their families,” Ms Black said. “Many people are taking two or three medicines to manage their condition, as well as additional medications to treat other issues such as blood pressure, heart disease, or mental health challenges. As the expense of these medicines piles up, we often hear from people about how hard it can be to pay for all of these prescriptions, particularly as they struggle with cost-of-living pressures.”

Rick Parsons, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 39 after two heart attacks, said he takes medications to help manage his condition every day. “I’ve been taking Forxiga and Metformin for 15 years. I might be on this medicine for the rest of my life,” Mr Parsons said. “A 60-day script means half as many trips to the pharmacy and half as many trips to my GP, just to fill a script for my medicine. It will save me money and time, for as long as I take this medicine. When you’re living with type 2 diabetes, the right medicine is so important and even being able to save a few dollars a month on my script is a welcome change. Every little bit helps.”

Ms Black said Diabetes Australia applauded the Government for reinvesting the money it saved from the reforms into pharmacies through new programs and payments to provide more services. “Pharmacies are such an important part of our health system and a really important source of health advice and support for people living with diabetes,” Ms Black said. A full list of the 184 medicines now available for longer prescriptions can be found here.

To view the Diabetes Australia article Diabetes Australia welcomes Government move to make more medicines cheaper in full click here.

syringes, tablets & white cubes spelling out 'diabetes'

Image source: iStock.

Understanding cultural diversity among mob

The rich diversity within the Indigenous population of Australia is a captivating aspect, defying the common misconception that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples belong to one homogeneous group. Indigenous people represent a mosaic of cultures, languages, lifestyles, and kinship structures. One of the best ways to encompass this diversity is to look at the Indigenous map of Australia, available here, explains Aunty Munya Andrews, an elder from Bardi Country in the Kimberley region of WA. “We invite people to take a look at that because there’s about 500 Nations that are on that map. Each Nation has its own language or shares a common language with another.”

There are more than 250 Indigenous languages, including 800 dialects, and their culture, ways of life, and kinship structures all differ throughout the Nations- even art, adds Aunty Munya. “I can tell just looking at Aboriginal art, I know exactly which area of Australia it comes from. It’s that particular. Most people associate dot painting with Aboriginal culture, but that’s just one Nation. When you look to Bardi people, my people, we’re saltwater people, our art is very much similar to other islanders around the world in that they are geometric paintings which depict the waves and it’s not dot painting at all,” she says.

Aunty Munya, an author, barrister, and co-director of Evolve Communities, says people must understand that ‘one size does not fit all’ when engaging with Indigenous peoples. It’s a crucial step toward showing respect for the customs and traditions of a community, allowing you to build more meaningful relationships. Carla Rogers is an Indigenous ally who works alongside Aunty Munya. She adds that such knowledge is crucial to understanding Australia’s shared history and why gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people still exist today. “When Australia was first colonised and [is] ongoing, it’s the lack of awareness of this diversity that has been the core to our problem. Many of our problems that exist now [are due to] seeing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as one homogeneous group and not acknowledging this rich diversity,” she says.

To listen to the SBS Australia Explained podcast episode The importance of understanding cultural diversity among Indigenous peoples click here.

banner for SBS podcast Australia Explained

Image source: SBS Australia Explained webpage.

$5m for Tracking Cube, a FASD screening tool

A Griffith University research project to help screen children and adolescents at risk of neurodevelopmental disorders has been successful in gaining a $5m grant from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). This is a huge coup for the university as only nine teams from this grant round were awarded funding nationwide. Professor Dianne Shanley from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology is the lead on this project, and it builds upon the recent $1.5m NHMRC grant awarded last year for the Tracking Cube, which her team co-designed.

The MRFF grant will help Professor Shanley and her team commercialise the Tracking Cube products using a lean business model. “This will help us to sustainably implement our products for years to come, improving access to healthcare for children while giving back to the community who originally co-designed with our team,” Professor Shanley said. The Tracking Cube originated when community members from remote Qld voiced their concern around long waitlists for children.

“They wanted to ensure their children were supported close to home and placed on local treatment pathways as quickly as possible,” Professor Shanley said. “The Tracking Cube is a culturally responsive, tiered neurodevelopmental screening approach that can be integrated with child well-health checks. Ultimately, it’s about screening at risk children and young people in primary healthcare so we can start them on early pathways of support and catch those who might otherwise fall through service gaps.”

To view the Griffith University news article $5 million grant for the Tracking Cube in full click here.

FASD Tracking Cube

Tracking Cube by artist Aunty Shirley Dawson, descendent of the Eastern Aranda Nation Group. Image source: Griffith University Griffith News webpage.

Putting a price on cultural loss

Recent judicial decisions have highlighted a shift in the way that anthropologists talk about cultural loss among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Dr Richard Martin, an anthropologist with the University of Queensland, has spent 15 years working with Indigenous people in the Gulf Country of NW Qld and the NT, assisting with native title claims and protecting cultural heritage. In his latest article, Dr Martin writes that recent court decisions highlight a shift in the way we talk about cultural loss, and are prompting new and more mature discussions about what cultural loss is and how we can compensate it. “All loss involves change and the perception that something is different from the way it used to be or ought to have become,” Dr Martin said. “But change is not always perceived as loss. This raises the question: what distinguishes ‘loss’ from ‘change,’ and how are these concepts entangled?”

Dr Martin has asked how society can put a “value” on culture. “The question is a very complex and difficult one. How do we put a value on culture? And how do we start to think about the harm to culture that Indigenous people have suffered? And how do you compensate Aboriginal people for the harms of colonisation?” Dr Martin said. Dr Martin said that the Australian medical community no doubt has a big role to play in new definitions of cultural loss. “There’s a lot of feeling associated with loss that is hard for people to express,” said Dr Martin.

Dr Martin continued, “The medical community helps people put complex feelings into words and to understand them. And this can be very productive. I hope that, through the process of grappling with these questions, we can come to a more honest and more robust relationship across cultures in this country.”

To view the AMA InSight+ article ‘Putting a price’ on cultural loss face by Aboriginal peoples in full click here.

Fortescue mine in West Pilbara

The Fortescue mine in the West Pilbara. Image: King Ropes Access / Shutterstock. Image source: AMA InSight+.

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.

Mouthguard Awareness Month – All March 2024

The annual Mouthguard Awareness Month campaign by the Australian Dental Association (ADA) is a wonderful way to remind and educate the wider community about the importance of wearing mouthguards. In Australia, only 36% of players are wearing mouthguards when playing a contact sport 🏉🏀🏏, and even less wear a mouthguard while training – which is quite alarming!

Below are some key messages the ADA recommends for patients:

❌ Sport related injuries make up 40% of dental injuries. Wearing a mouthguard can help reduce the prevalence of such injuries.

❌ One case of dental trauma can lead to a lifetime of treatment.

❌ Dental trauma from a sport injury can result in tooth fracture, cracked or knocked out teeth, damaged tooth nerve, broken jaw, or damaged and cut lips

Benefits of a custom fitted mouthguard:
🔸️ Reduces the risk of tooth, gum or jaw injuries
🔸️ Helps make breathing and speaking easier
🔸️ More comfortable than stock mouthguard
🔸️ Expert fitting, long lasting, durable and available in a variety of designs.

You can view the ADA Victoria Mouthguard Awareness Factsheet here.

You can also read a related article Playing with pride and protection published by James Cook University (JCU) about a JCU project to make custom-fitted mouthguards for students from AFL Cape York House in full here.

Cape York AFL House students with the JCU Dental staff & students, wearing mouthguards they helped create

Cape York AFL House students with the JCU Dental staff and students who helped create their mouthguards. Image source: James Cook University Australia website.

Brain Awareness Week – 11–17 March 2024

“Everything we do, every thought we’ve ever had, is produced by the human brain. But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries, and it seems the more we probe its secrets, the more surprises we find.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

Held every year in mid-March, Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign to highlight the importance of protecting and strengthening our body’s most critical organ while raising awareness to the progress made on and the benefits of brain research.

Brain Awareness Week began in 1996, with the goal being to educate people on brain research, the importance of research and the hope for treatments, preventions and possible cures for brain diseases.

You can find more information about Brain Awareness Week on the Brain Foundation (the largest, independent funder of brain and spinal injury research in Australia) website here.

Free, specialised governance workshops for ACCHOs will be delivered in multiple locations across the country during 2024 and 2025. 

Registrations are open now for Sydney and Perth:  

  • Sydney 19–20 March 2024
  • Perth 16–17 April 2024

The program is delivered by legal experts and covers:  

  • Delegation of powers 
  • Finance for Boards
  • Governance documents
  • Managing conflicts of interest 
  • Managing risk  
  • Principles of good governance  
  • Structure and role of boards and sub-committees 

To register, go here.

For more information, please contact NACCHO using this email link.

4 December 2024

feature tile: image of Pat Turner hands folded in front of her; text 'Pat Turner AM, NACCHO CEO and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks reflects on the year that’s been'

The image in the feature tile is of Pat Turner AM, NACCHO CEO and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks as it appeared in an article Australian Financial Review Magazine reveals Australia’s ten most culturally powerful people, published by 9 News on 1 October 2020.

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.

NACCHO CEO’s annual wrap-up

On an episode of Speaking Out broadcast on ABC Listen Radio last Friday (1 December 2023) Larissa Behrendt spoke with Pat Turner AM, NACCHO CEO and Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks on her thoughts on the year that’s been and where to from here.

Larissa Behrendt: It’s been a year of highs and lows in Indigenous affairs. Aunty Pat Turner has worked to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for over half a century, she says despite the referendum result, the focus should remain on creating better outcomes for First Nations people.

It’s become a tradition on Speaking Out to end the year by asking one of our most revered Elders about her thoughts on the year that’s been. Aunty Pat’s year in review gives us a chance to delve into the big issues from someone who’s been in the middle of it.

Aunty Pat welcome back once again. This has been quite a year so it’s a real privilege to have your insights since you’ve been right in the thick of many of the things we’re going to analyse. The most significant moment in Indigenous affairs this past year has no doubt been the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. You were deeply involved in the design of it, how do you explain the referendum results Aunty Pat?

Pat Turner: I don’t really think it’s right that Aboriginal people are asked to explain it, or to say what went wrong because really, we only make up 3% of the population and somehow it assumes that, you know by me explaining it, that we were at fault and that it was our responsibility to educate all the Australians and all the people who have to vote to convince them about why we should have a constitutionally protected voice and I think there are a lot of others who are responsible for that.

But what I do know is so many of our people are now grieving and struggling to understand their place in our own country and that’s really bad. But in this grief, as I said previously, it is important that our young people really know that they are so loved, and that they should be so proud of their Aboriginal identity. I know I hug my grannies a little tighter in the last few weeks and we all must continue to do that.

You can read more of the interview here.

collage - Speaking Out tile; ABC Radio logo; portrait of Larrissa Behrendt

Larrisa Behrendt, host of ABC Radio Speaking Out.

Kids experiencing fewer hearing problems

Indigenous children are experiencing fewer ear and hearing problems, though rates are still excessive and preventable. New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed the proportion of Indigenous children under 14 with an ear or hearing problem declined from 11% in 2001 to 6.9%  in 2019. “Hearing problems in children can affect speech, language, thinking skills and behavioural development,” said AIHW spokesperson Jo Baker said. “First Nations people and in particular children, experience high rates of ear and hearing problems, which can have profound impacts on overall health and quality of life.”

While the decrease is promising, the research found three in 10 Indigenous children still experienced hearing loss in 2019, jumping to four in 10 in remote areas. In the broader community, 43% of Indigenous people aged 7 and over had measured hearing loss. The report found social and economic disadvantage to be contributing to greater rates of untreated acute and chronic ear infections among Indigenous people.

University of Newcastle ear, nose and throat surgeon Kelvin Kong said most ear disease and hearing loss affecting Indigenous people is preventable. “Access to culturally safe ear and hearing health specialist services is crucial for First Nations people to seek and receive timely diagnosis and treatment,” Professor Kong said. He said middle ear infections are the main cause of hearing loss among children and young people, and early detection is vital for appropriate treatment.

To view The Telegraph article Indigenous children experiencing fewer hearing problems in full click here.
young ATSI child have ear examination

Image source: The Telegraph.

Reform delay causes dental decay

A Senate committee has investigated why so many Australians are missing out on dental care and made 35 recommendations for reform. By far the most sweeping is the call for universal coverage for essential dental care.  The Senate committee report follows more than a dozen national inquiries and reports into dental care since 1998, many with similar findings.

Dental care was left out of Medicare from the start, and half a century later, Australia still funds oral health very differently to how we fund care for the rest of the body, with patients paying most of the cost themselves. People on lower incomes were much more likely to miss out. People living in the poorest areas are around three times as likely to wait more than two years between visits to the dentist, compared to people in the wealthiest areas. One in four report delaying care.

Even if you can afford to see a dentist, you might not be able to get in. Census data shows there is one dentist for every 400 to 500 people in inner-city parts of most capital cities. But in Blacktown North in outer Sydney, there is only one dentist for every 5,100 people. Regional areas fare even worse. There is only one for every 10,300 people in the northeast of Ballarat, Vic. In some remote areas, there are no working dentists at all. The consequences of missing dental care are serious. Around 80,000 hospital visits a year are for preventable dental conditions. Oral health problems are also linked to a range of chronic diseases affecting the rest of the body too, and may cause damage to the brain.

Compared to five years ago, more of us have untreated dental decay, are concerned about the appearance of our teeth, avoid food due to dental problems, and have toothaches. Despite all this, government spending on dental health has been falling. In the ten years to 2020-21, the federal government’s share of spending on dental services – excluding premium rebates – fell from 12% to 5%, while the states’ share fell from 10% to 9%.

To view The Conversation article Reform delay causes dental decay. It’s time for a national deal to fund dental care in full click here.

gloved dentist's hands holding equipment

Photo: Press Association. Image source: SBS NITV.

Growing calls for on-Country dialysis

Yindjibarndi Elder Tootsie Daniel sits patiently underneath a tree in the front yard of her home in Roebourne, 1,500 kms north of Perth in WA’s Pilbara. She’s waiting for a lift to a kidney dialysis centre, three hours away. It’s a laborious ritual she is meant to go through three times a week. “I’ve had problems getting people to take me to Port Hedland to do dialysis,” she says.”I remember the first week when I came back [from Perth] I missed dialysis for five weeks … it was so unbearable for me. “I was getting worried and upset … because my body was feeling it.”

Three hours down the highway in Port Hedland, Yamatji woman Elizabeth Barry has been on the waitlist for dialysis for more than a year. “Sometimes you do have anxiety because of that, because you know that you just got to take what you can get,” she says. “If we don’t get dialysis we are dead. It is as simple as that … I’ll take whatever days you give me.”

Recent figures from the WA Country Health Service showed the average wait time for dialysis in Port Hedland was 423 days, double last year’s figures. Locals say ballooning wait times result in a growing number of Indigenous people leaving their communities to access treatment in Perth. “There’s lots of other people: my people, my family in Perth that want to come back home,” Ms Daniel says. “Being in Perth is somewhere else. I’m not familiar with, no family, no friends to come visit. “I miss seeing my family and I’m going to miss my community … it made me feel homesick.”

To view the ABC News article Growing calls for on-country kidney dialysis in North West WA, as wait times grow to more than a year in full click here.

WA dialysis ATSI patient Lucy May Bulley

Yinggarda woman Lucy May Bulley says someone had to die before she could get a dialysis placement in Carnarvon. Photo: Xander Sapsworth-Collis. Image source: ABC News.

Babies born to type 2 diabetes mums at risk

Babies of mothers who have type 2 diabetes in pregnancy are being born with congenital defects including holes in the heart and malformed kidneys, frontline clinicians reveal as the nationwide diabetes battle extends into a new front. Endocrinologists at public hospitals have highlighted the trend as the numbers of pregnant women with youth-onset type 2 diabetes grows, with as many as 15% of babies born to these mothers having some form of congenital malformation.

The number of people with type 2 diabetes, a condition in which patients become insulin resistant and develop dangerously high blood sugar levels, has tripled in the past 30 years. One in 10 deaths is attributable to diabetes currently, and a minor or major amputation is performed every two days in Australian hospitals as a result of diabetes complications. The condition is also the leading cause of premature blindness and causes heart attack, strokes and nerve problems. There is no national data on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in pregnancy, but the numbers of such women is growing as the age of diagnosis of the condition – previously a disease of middle age – gets younger and younger.”

According to Darwin endocrinologist Matthew Hare, who wrote his PhD on the topic at the Menzies School of Health Research, Aboriginal women in Central Australia have the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in pregnancy ever reported globally. Research led by Dr Hare found that there had been a 10-fold increase in the rate of type 2 diabetes among pregnant Aboriginal women in just 30 years, and the condition now affected almost one in 10 Aboriginal women in Central Australia. Alarmingly, one in 10 Aboriginal women with type 2 diabetes in pregnancy developed end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis within 12 years of follow-up after the pregnancy. These women were almost 30 times more likely to develop end-stage kidney disease compared to women without any diabetes in pregnancy.

The above was extracted from an article Babies of diabetic mums born with birth defects: doctors published earlier today in The Australian.

ATSI mother kissing newborn baby

Image source: Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.

Vax burn-out leaves 1,000s vulnerable

Every year, vaccines save thousands of lives and prevent countless sick days, yet millions of older Australians at high risk of serious illness are not getting their recommended shots and for some that may mean death. According to a new report A fair shot: How to close the vaccination gap, by the Grattan Institute, the pandemic has left many of us suffering vaccine burn-out – sick of vaccination, confused about which jabs we need, misled by misinformation, or complacent about the risks of not being vaccinated.

COVID-19 is less dangerous than it was at the peak of the pandemic, but is still killing thousands of Australians a year – since pandemic measures ended in October 2022, more than 5,000 Australians have died from COVID-19, making it a leading cause of death. COVID-19 vaccination rates have plunged. “Year after year, the same groups miss out. If you don’t speak English at home, you are only half as likely to get recommended COVID-19 vaccinations,” the report says, “and if you are Indigenous, you are a third less likely.” According to the report Australia urgently needs a policy reset to save lives and take pressure off hospitals.

The Grattan Institute wants to see a new National Vaccination Agreement between the federal government and the states, to set ambitious targets and forge a plan to drive up vaccination. Pharmacists and GPs should get more help to reach more people, including cultural groups that are missing out, and people living in aged care homes, Aboriginal health organisations should get more money to boost vaccination rates among Indigenous people and pandemic programs to reach communities with the lowest vaccination rates – including homeless people and some cultural groups – should be sustained and strengthened.

To view The Senior article Vaccine burn-out leaves thousands vulnerable says the Grattan Institute
in full click here.

Tharawal Elder Uncle Ivan Wellington receiving vaccination at Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation

Tharawal Elder Uncle Ivan Wellington receiving a COVID-19 vaccination at Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation. Image source: The Guardian.

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