Category Kidney

4 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.

Community Dialysis Unit Expression of Interest information webinar

The Community Dialysis Unit Expression of Interest information webinar, hosted by NACCHO and the Department of Health and Aged Care on March 18 focused on improving access to dialysis treatments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote communities. During this information session, the presenters discussed the significant investment under the Better Renal Services for First Nations Peoples measure towards the establishment of up to 30 four-chair dialysis units, and the community expression of interest process that has been developed to support communities to self-report information to help identify locations that will be considered to receive a dialysis unit.

To learn more, go here.

Aboriginal Chronic Conditions Conference

The Aboriginal Chronic Conditions Conference, hosted by The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) and the Aboriginal Chronic Conditions Network is underway, focusing on promoting innovations in Aboriginal Chronic Care that are culturally responsive and aligned with Closing the Gap Priority Reform Areas. From strategic partnerships to cultural healing, the conference delves into key topics that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

This includes:

  • Strategic partnerships that strengthen Aboriginal leadership and shared decision making.
  • Building community control capability as guided by community control.
  • Success and key learnings in the design and delivery of programs and services.
  • Leading initiatives for shared access to data and information at a regional level.
  • Pathways to Aboriginal employment and procurement for Aboriginal business.
  • Aboriginal culture as the core element to healing and wellbeing for Aboriginal peoples.

To learn more, go here.

Brittney Finch and Dr Shannon Lin on Empowering Diabetes Care: A Model of Holistic Approach with Continuous Glucose Monitoring at Illawarra AMS. Image source: AH&MRC.

Working alongside ACCHOs to support social and emotional wellbeing

The Emerging Minds, Positive partnerships: Working alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing fact sheet is a resource designed to support non-Indigenous practitioners who work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, parents, and families. While it is suitable for all practitioners, it may be especially helpful in building the cultural competency of psychologists and other mental health professionals.

The fact sheet covers background on ACCHOs and the key role they play in offering culturally secure and empowered ways of working with their communities. It also covers holistic Aboriginal concepts of health, mental health, and wellbeing:

“They account for the social, cultural, and political determinants of health at the individual, family, and community level, and are often referred to as ‘social and emotional wellbeing.

“Working in culturally secure and strengths-based ways with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and their families is optimised by an understanding of Aboriginal concepts of health and wellbeing and partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled health services.”

To read the full fact sheet, go here.  

Positive partnerships: Working alongside Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing fact sheet.

Martu people set out new vision for climate-appropriate housing

Martu people living in remote communities in the Western Desert have set out a new vision for climate-appropriate housing and community infrastructure. As rising temperatures put even more stress on remote communities, extreme weather will force people out of homes that are too hot, leading to overcrowding when other family members take them in. Having languished in poor and increasingly overheated housing, Martu are taking matters into their own hands. Working with their land council, Jamukurnu-Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation (JYAC), they have developed their own plans for housing and community infrastructure.

The Martu Community Co-Design Process – a partnership between Martu, JYAC and The Fulcrum Agency and funded by the WA Government – determined a realistic plan for sustainable, culturally appropriate housing that will accommodate future growth. Communities talked for several years about their histories and ambitions for the future, and the result is a holistic review of the three on-country Martu communities of Parnngurr, Punmu and Kunawarritji. Past attempts to improve housing have been narrow and short-term responses. New houses are delivered without proper engagement or family decision-making.

Planned maintenance, critically necessary in this harsh environment, has not been carried out in a systemic and sustained way. For example, positioning for optimal solar performance would mean designing new houses that face north to capture airflow and natural light. While this is true in most urban settings, it can cause problems in communities where cultural protocol determines how you occupy space. Applying general standards without community engagement can result in poor outcomes for culture, with unwanted or taboo views towards ngurra or neighbours. Any new housing and community plan needs to address these mistakes. It is not simply about materials, orientation, or speed of delivery – they must have regard for culture, family, and community sustainability.

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

New InGeNA Consumer Advisory Group

InGeNA (the industry association for organisations (for profit and not for profit) working in the genomics field) have formed a Consumer Advisory Group (CAG). Monica Ferrie, CEO of The Genetic Support Network of Victoria has agreed to be Chair. The purpose of the Consumer Advisory Group (CAG) is to provide an independent voice to the InGeNA Board that promotes genomics and the advancement of precision medicine that is respectful and responsive to the preferences, needs and values of consumers and partners and advise the InGeNA Board and members in areas of strategy, advocacy, education and communication, and policy development.

Members will bring a cross section of attributes and experience in the following areas:

  • cultural including First Nations and CALD
  • geographical spread, across Australia and metro/regional
  • age groups
  • gender
  • lived and living experience across a range of disease groups (rare, chronic and cancers), of different types of prediction, prevention, diagnostics, treatment and management, and at different stages of the health/wellbeing journey
  • professional experience and/or qualifications in genomics and/or healthcare

Participants will have the opportunity to influence industry policy positions and how industry engages with consumers, connect with peers and learn about issues and challenges different consumers face, explore issues collaboratively, and potentially engage with members or partners on research projects or in consumer consultation activities.

At this stage these roles are unpaid (InGeNA Board roles are also voluntary), however consideration may be given to payment in the future as InGeNA grows. If you are interested in being involved and would like to find out more information, please email the Chair, Kathy Campbell, chair@ingena.org.au

Image source: Shutterstock.

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.

Auditory Processing Disorder Awareness Day – 4 April 2024

Auditory processing disorder (APD) Awareness Day is held on 4 April each year to highlight the effects and challenges associated with living with auditory processing disorders.

APD, also called central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is a problem with the way your hearing and brain work together to understand sound. Children with APD might have normal hearing, but have difficulty recognising and interpreting the sounds they hear. They might also be unusually sensitive to sounds. These difficulties make it hard for children with APD to work out what a sound is, where the sound came from and when the sound happened. And this means it can be hard for children with APD to listen properly when there’s background noise or the sound is muffled. As a result, APD can affect children’s learning, language and reading.

APD can be hard to diagnose. That’s because the difficulties it causes can look like the signs of deafness or hearing loss, intellectual disability, a language problem, a learning difficulty, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

It’s estimated that APD affects around 2-5% of school-age children.

With the right intervention and support, children with APD can improve their ability to listen in the classroom and other noisy environments. In some cases, intervention can improve listening ability to a typical level. Treatment for APD is tailored to each child.

You can find more information about auditory processing disorder on the Australian parenting website Raising Children here.

Image source: Lumiere Children’s Therapy 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.

14 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.

AHCSA welcomes new CEO, Tanya McGregor

The Board of the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA) is pleased to welcome and announce Tanya McGregor as the new CEO. Tanya is a proud Yaruwu (Broome) woman who has lived and worked most of her life on the lands of the Larrakia people in the NT and now on Kaurna land in SA.

Most recently Tanya has represented Aboriginal health in the role of Chief Aboriginal Health Officer for SA Health where she provided system leadership at a state and national level with both government departments and non-government partners. In this role she engaged community and collaborated with partners in system wide policy and planning to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people and communities. Tanya has extensive experience on Committees, Boards and Ministerial Councils.

With more than 10 years’ experience at a senior and executive level developing state-wide Aboriginal health strategy and policy across SA and the NT, Tanya brings her extensive experience and knowledge to AHCSA to guide the organisation to achieve its strategic objectives. Tanya is looking forward to joining the Community Controlled sector and believes that improving Aboriginal Health in SA requires important elements such as forging and maintaining partnerships with Community leaders as experts in health, providing advocacy from and Aboriginal health lens and adequate resourcing for the sector.

Tanya will begin at AHCSA on Monday March 18 and is excited to be given the opportunity to lead AHCSA to deliver outcomes for ACCHO members and their communities.

Image source: LinkedIn.

Community Dialysis Unit Expression of Interest information webinar

An upcoming webinar hosted by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Department of Health and Aged Care will be taking place, focused on improving access to dialysis treatments for First Nations Australians in remote communities.

Date: Monday 18 March 2024

Time: 4:00 – 5:00pm (Canberra time)

Duration: 1 hour

During this information session, we will be discussing the significant investment under the Better Renal Services for First Nations Peoples measure towards the establishment of up to 30 four-chair dialysis units, and the community expression of interest form that has been developed to support communities to self-report information to help identify locations that will receive a dialysis unit under the measure.

Following the webinar, a recording of the information session will be published on the Better Renal Services Steering Committee webpage on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

To register for the webinar, please click here.

PM speaks on NT remote housing investment, jobs, and First Nations Health Worker Traineeship Program

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese spoke on ABC Darwin Breakfast on Wednesday March 13. In the interview, the PM discussed the recent $4 billion investment for remote housing in the NT:

Adam Steer, Host: Let’s move to the remote housing announcement you made yesterday. The Northern Territory has required, on its previous Agreement, in order to deliver its targets for remote housing, it required an extension. Do you have faith that the NT Government will be able to meet their targets this time around with that extra cash injection?

Prime Minister: I do, because we’ve worked this through with the NT Government…

Steer: What checks and balances have you put in place to make sure?

Prime Minister: They will be included in the contract. Essentially the agreement between the Commonwealth and the NT Government that will be concluded before July 1 this year – that will include measures, not just for houses being built and the number being built and the funding, but also the type of houses. I sat down with the Northern Land Council yesterday in Katherine, and one of the things that came through there was that they didn’t want just one size fits all – they wanted appropriate housing. So, that one of the issues that was raised, for example, was in some communities, they want to make sure that there are two bathrooms in each house because of cultural issues of men and women having separate bathroom facilities. Now, that’s a sensible thing to put forward. They want to make sure that there’s appropriate kitchen facilities as well, that it’s adaptable. So, the house I went to visit yesterday in Katherine had ramps available so that it was wheelchair accessible. Now, those are the sort of measures that will ensure, as well, that houses will get maintenance as well, maintenance and repairs, that’s part of the agreement, so we want to make sure as well that Indigenous people, locals, are given priorities in employment.

I met a young apprentice yesterday, an Indigenous man there in Katherine, who was doing his painting apprenticeship, and he was very proud of the fact that he had done the painting on these new homes that had been built. Now, all of those things mean that you get, not just the houses built, the $4 billion, but there’s a multiplier impact on the local community. Together, these measures – if you look at our remote real jobs program that we’ve put in place to replace the CDP with real work, real wages, real skills being developed, with housing being built to provide that secure house, roof over people’s heads, plus the school’s announcement we’re making today, plus the investment in health that includes 500 Indigenous health workers being trained, of whom over 180 are already in training, the access to dialysis and other health equipment in remote communities – if you put this all together, what you have is a combination signifying my Government’s determination to make a difference and to not leave people behind in these communities.

Read more here.

Anthony Albanese has announced a $4 billion investment to boost Indigenous housing in the NT. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS).

Fitzroy Crossing women are teaching their languages through bright and bold picture books

A group of Aboriginal women in the Fitzroy Crossing have become published authors with the release of four bilingual children’s books that aim to share language and culture. There are three books for babies and toddlers, and a fourth aimed at older children. All of which have been published by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF). The books aim to share, teach and preserve language and to show a snapshot of life in the remote community.

The women created the books during a workshop with ILF Lifetime Ambassador Alison Lester, children’s book author Jane Godwin and designer Lee Burgemeestre.June Nixon wrote and illustrated Kurrartuwarnti (Brolgas) and Jirntipirriny jaa Lamparn Parri (Willy Wagtail and the Little Boy). Both books are written in Walmajarri and English.

 Ms Nixon learnt Walmajarri as a child and now works at Baya Gawiy Buga yani Jandu yani u Centre, run by the Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre, where she shares language to young ones.

“I learned all the stories, and about going hunting. I started doing books in Yakanarra School and Bayulu School, teaching the kids, singing the songs in Walmajarri,” she said.

“I came here to work at Baya Gawiy a couple of years back, and I started to do my own books here at Baya Gawiy. And it’s good to teach all the little ones from when they’re little, growing up, to learn their language.”

Read the full NITV article here.

Delphine Shandley (left) and June Nixon (right) have written their own children’s books in language. Image source: NITV.

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 Kidney Day – 14 March 2024

World Kidney Day is a global campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems.

World Kidney Day comes back every year. All across the globe many hundred events take place from public screenings in Argentina to Zumba marathons in Malaysia. We do it all to create awareness. Awareness about preventive behaviors, awareness about risk factors, and awareness about how to live with a kidney disease. We do this because we want kidney health for all.

World Kidney Day is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations – World Kidney of Kidney Foundations – World Kidney Alliance (IFKF-WKA).

Objectives:

  • Raise awareness about our “amazing kidneys”.
  • Highlight that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
  • Encourage systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD.
  • Encourage preventive behaviours.
  • Educate all medical professionals about their key role in detecting and reducing the risk of CKD, particularly in high risk populations.
  • Stress the important role of local and national health authorities in controlling the CKD epidemic. On World Kidney Day all governments are encouraged to take action and invest in further kidney screening.
  • Encourage Transplantion as a best-outcome option for kidney failure, and the act of organ donation as a life-saving initiative.

You can find more information about World Kidney Day 2024 on the World Kidney Day website here.

tile with text 'world kidney day

Image source: World Kidney Day 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 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.

Sector Jobs

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

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

20 September 2023

feature tile Central Australia dialysis patients Selina & Rhonda Bob exercising; text ' ACCHO sector has shown what can be achieved through investment in community driven solutions'

The image in the feature tile is of Selina and Rhonda Bob (who spend 16 hours a week on dialysis, but are doing everything in their power to live a healthy lifestyle) as they appeared an article Diabetes rates in Central Australia among highest in the world, new research shows published by ABC News on 6 August 2022. Photo: Xavier Martin.

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

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

Community investment key to reducing diabetes

13% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 18 have been diagnosed with diabetes – three times the national rate for non-Indigenous people, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Dr Jason Agostino, NACCHO’s senior medical advisor, said lack of local health services was one of the reasons for the higher rates. “We don’t want people running from this clinic to that clinic,” Jason Agostino said. “We want people to be able to access care in a clinic that they feel safe, where they know that people there and understand the treatments.”

Dr Agostino said the disease was increasingly being diagnosed in younger children, often in cases where their mother had already been diagnosed. “We’ve always thought [of the disease] as adult onset, but the patients are getting younger and younger,” he said. “A lot of them under the age of 10.” He called for more localised Aboriginal health organisations that could work to prevent the disease, through education and health advice but also diagnosing and treating the disease earlier and quicker.

Australia needs to invest in local community-led health providers to reduce rates of type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

To view The Guardian article Investment in Indigenous community health key to reduce diabetes rates in full click here. You can also watch the Too Deadly For Diabetes video below which emphasises the need for community-led responses to diabetes prevention and treatment.

Climate action must be accelerated

This week, leaders from around the world are in New York for the United Nations (UN) Climate Ambition Summit. To coincide with the summit, The Australian Institute has coordinated an open letter, signed by over 220 leading climate scientists and eminent experts, calling on the Australian Government to follow the science and stop new fossil fuel projects. The letter with the title ‘Australia Must Accelerate Climate Action, Not Climate Annihilation’ will appear as a full-page ad in the The New York Times.

The letter opens with “World leaders convene this week at the UN Climate Ambition Summit in recognition that the global community must accelerate efforts to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate change.” The letter continues “The UN Secretary General, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), International Energy Agency (IEA), and scientists from all over the world have made it clear there is no room for new gas, coal and oil projects in the global carbon budget. Yet, in Australia, over 10,000 miles from where leaders will meet to demonstrate their commitment to climate action, vast areas of the continent are covered by coal, gas and oil production and licenses.”

“In this – the ‘decisive decade’ for climate – there are over 100 new coal and gas projects in development in Australia according to official data. If all these projects proceed, research by The Australia Institute shows they would add a further 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to the atmosphere every year – roughly the equivalent emissions of the entire Russian Federation, the world’s forth-largest polluter. Accelerating the pace and scale of climate action means an end to new fossil fuel approvals and subsidies. As the world’s third largest exporter of fossil fuels, Australia has a special responsibility to stop fueling the increase in global emissions caused by Australian fossil fuel production, both in Australia and overseas.”

For more information about The Australia Institute’s open letter you can visit their website here.

banner text 'The Australia Institute Research that matters. Australia Must Accelerate Climate Action, Not Climate Annihilation'

MyMedicare webinar for GPs and Practice Managers

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (DHAC) is hosting webinar tomorrow Thursday 21 September 2023 from 12.30pm–1.30pm about the MyMedicare practice and patient registration processes. The webinar aims to help organisations prepare for patient registration from 1 October 2023.

If you’re interested you can register for the webinar using this link.

If you can’t attend the webinar live, you can watch the recording whenever it suits you best at this link. The recording will be available within the week following the live webinar.

Panellists will include:

  • Simon Cotterell PSM – First Assistant Secretary, Primary Care Division, DHAC; and
  • Tara Welsh -Practice Manager, Australian Association of Practice Management (AAPM).

Representatives from Services Australia will facilitate a system demonstration.

If you have any questions feel free to ask them during the webinar and share your thoughts in the comments.

You can invite friends to the webinar using this link.

tile text 'MyMedicare - session for GPs and Practice Managers'

Common dermatological conditions webinar

The AH&MRC Public Health Team are hosting a webinar Identification and Management of common dermatological conditions in primary care. The webinar, being held from 3.30pm–4.30pm on Wednesday 27 September 2023, will provide valuable knowledge and insights into common dermatological presentations in primary care and clinical management of these presentations, for anyone working in ACCHOs. Topics of focus include identifying and managing cutaneous fungal infections, eczema and its common complications, and rare entities not to be missed.

The webinar will feature a panel of fantastic presenters including Dr Dana Slape, Dr Rhiannon Russell and Dr Victoria Snaidr.

  • Dr Dana Slape is a Larrakia Dermatologist, who works in a variety of settings across priority communities in urban and rural areas including the local Aboriginal Medical Service at Tharawal, Campbelltown Hospital, Darwin Hospital, and custodial facilities for children, women, and men across NSW and the NT.  Dana is the first Aboriginal dermatologist and is deeply committed to growing the First Nations specialist health workforce.
  • Dr Rhiannon Russell is a Dermatology Registrar and proud Worimi woman. She currently works in the Western Sydney region at Liverpool hospital. She hopes to return to the NSW South Coast where she is connected to the community through her training as a medical student and junior doctor. She is committed to growing the First Nations medical graduates through her mentorship at Wollongong University.
  • Dr Victoria Snaidr is a dermatologist with a special interest in rural and remote medicine. Prior to gaining her Fellowship of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (FACD), Victoria was a GP whose interest and experience specifically in Aboriginal health was founded after working as a GP in remote Aboriginal communities in Central Australia, and further cemented during her years working at Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service. Victoria is currently working as a dermatologist in the central Sydney area and Gosford.

Audience input is welcome, including asking questions and/or offering examples of how things may be working in your ACCHO.

To participate in this webinar, you can register here. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation email with the webinar details and instructions on how to join – please check your spam/junk mail for the confirmation email.

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the AH&MRC Public Health team by email here.

tile Aboriginal dot art; text 'AH&MRC Dermatology Webinar'

High blood pressure risk for NT mob

In a first-of-its-kind study, screening has detected concerning levels of a major hypertension risk among young people in Australia’s Top End. Associate Professor Jun Yang has previously confirmed that primary aldosteronism (PA), a hormonal condition, is a significant yet often undetected contributor to high blood pressure (hypertension). However, there is currently no available data on the prevalence of PA within Australian First Nations communities.

Through a partnership with Professor Gurmeet Singh from the Menzies School of Health Research, Dr Yang and her team successfully conducted PA testing in pre-existing groups of young individuals, Australian First Nations communities, and non-Indigenous residents residing in the NT.  A/Prof Yang believes the results are concerning in themselves, but also potentially open a window into broader issues of public health for Indigenous people. “We found positive tests for PA in over a quarter of the urban-residing participants of the Cohort studies who were tested,” she said. “Australian First Nations people are known to have high rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but this is the first time this type of testing has been done in these communities. PA is a highly modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and correct identification will enable appropriate targeted treatment.”

Lead author and PhD candidate Dr Elisabeth Ng said the “timely detection of primary aldosteronism is particularly important for Australian First Nations people due to their high rates of heart and kidney diseases, both of which may be associated with having too much aldosterone”. “Targeted treatment to block aldosterone action or remove aldosterone excess may be a lifesaver.” The next steps are to establish a process of appropriate screening process across the Top End.

To view the National Indigenous Times article High blood pressure risk revealed in Top End First Nations communities in full click here.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Key Date – Dementia Action Week 18–24 September 2023

Each day during this year’s Dementia Action Week – 18–24 September 2023 NACCHO has been sharing a range of information and resources that may be of use to the ACCHO sector.

In September last year an article, available here, about a study into the high prevalence of dementia among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, was published in The Lancet. The authors of the study said it is likely that historically recent exposure to modifiable risk factors underlie the high dementia rates, and a large proportion of dementia may be potentially preventable.

The researchers said dementia is, and will remain, a major challenge for First Nations populations. Their largely theoretical study estimated that half the burden of dementia in First Nations residents of the Torres Strait and NPA may be due to 11 potentially modifiable risk factors. They said the results make a clear case for governments to invest in preventative health, health promotion, and education, to reduce the largest contributing factors while fostering protective factors already present. The protective factors include good levels of social contact, low alcohol abuse, and levels of education that are improving across generations.

You can find out more information about Dementia Action Week 2023 on the Dementia Australia website here. You can also watch the below video The Fading Moon – it is one of a series of videos and other resources, available here, developed by Dementia Australia for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

30 August 2023

feature tile image of Aboriginal flag flying with Australian Parliament House in background; text 'Voice commentary leading to rise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychological distress'

The image in the feature tile is from an article Voice to parliament won’t give ‘special rights’ to Indigenous Australians, legal experts say published in The Guardian on 13 December 2022.

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

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

Referendum an overwhelming time for mob

In an opinion piece about the Voice referendum proud Bundjalung woman and journalist Bronte Charles said “I get asked which way I’ll be voting. I’ve watched others speak over my people.  I’ve seen the racist tweets and posts, and held my breath as discussions get more toxic. I hear the nasty conversations and go to bed feeling anxious. The referendum on the Voice to Parliament has brought with it a lot of emotions – some good, some bad, some eh. To put it mildly, it’s been an overwhelming time for mob. In a time full of uncertainty – one thing is for sure: whether the outcome of the referendum is a yes or a no, we need to be there for one another and, most importantly, be there for ourselves.”

Ms Charles spoke to three First Nations people working in the mental health space:

  • Tanja Hirvonen is a Jaru Bunuba clinical psychologist and Board Director of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association
  • Dr Clinton Schultz, a Gamilaroi psychologist and director at the Black Dog Institute
  • Maddison O’Gradey-Lee is a provisional psychologist and is currently completing a PhD that explores young mob’s mental health

who all agreed the Voice has fuelled bigoted attitudes and behaviours, with “a lot of mob are reporting that they’re finding that constant attention, as well as the criticism and debate, becoming quite toxic and impacting heavily on their social and emotional well-being. The psychological distress that we’re seeing amongst mob at the moment is definitely raised.”

Tanja Hirvonen said mob can look after themselves during the referendum by doing what mob do best: “check in on each other as well as your Elders. Draw on the strength of your ancestors and draw on the strength of your mob and make sure to look after yourself. Touch base with your family and have those conversations with your trusted peers or family members. Make sure that you’re connecting with people that are like-minded, who are going to give you that care and compassion and that warm hug that you might need.” Whether you’re voting yes, no or you still haven’t decided, Tanja says that mental health should be a priority.

To view the SBS NITV article OPINION: The referendum campaign already has me overwhelmed. Here’s how you can look after yourself in full click here.

image of back of heads of protesters & Aboriginal flags flying

Photo: AAP. Image source: SBS NITV article ‘The Voice will spark an improvement in Indigenous mental health, say peak bodies.

Maningrida named NDIS market gap trail site

The NT Labor Government has welcomed the announcement of Maningrida as the first of two trial sites in a $7.6m investment into the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Minister for the NDIS, the Hon Bill Shorten MP revealed that Maningrida would be a beneficiary of the pilot program for alternative commissioning approaches in thin markets where there are not enough services available to meet participants’ needs.

This is to ensure that participants can better access supports in remote and First Nations communities and will build on the work the NT Government is undertaking in partnership with the community, NDIA and sector as part of the deep dive into how the NDIS is working in Maningrida. Alternative commissioning will be undertaken in partnership with First Nations and remote communities to ensure the pilot is both culturally appropriate and underpinned by an understanding of community strengths and preferences.

Minister Shorten announced Maningrida’s inclusion as a trial site following a gathering with all State and Territory Ministers for Disabilities for a meeting of the Disability Reform Ministerial Council (DRMC) in Darwin, saying “This pilot will allow us to gain invaluable information on how we can ensure Australians with disability living in remote and First Nation communities can access supports and provide lessons on how to build the capability of communities and governments, and the types of alternative commissioning that work best.”

You can view The National Tribune article Maningrida announced as first trial site in $7.6 million NDIS market gap investment in full here and a transcript of the doorstop interview where Minister Shorten refers to the Maningrida trial here.

Manuel Brown Member for Arafura, Luke Gosling MP, Manuel Brown MP, Member for Arafura; Luke Gosling OAM, MP, Member for Solomon; Minister Bill Shorten; Member for Karama and NT Minister for Disabilities Ngaree Ah Kit

L-R: Manuel Brown MP, Member for Arafura; Luke Gosling OAM, MP, Member for Solomon; Minister Bill Shorten; Member for Karama and NT Minister for Disabilities Ngaree Ah Kit. Image: Manuel Brown’s Facebook page.

NT CTG should start with kids

Human-rights activist Timmy Duggan OAM said the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and Bringing Them Home reports highlighted the ‘urgent national crisis’ of the Gap more than 25 years ago. But as a history of generational trauma continues to weigh on the NT’s Aboriginal kids, he said it was clear more needed to be done to give today’s young people “doses of resilience”. “We can have an impact on them while their brain is still developing and provide good, positive experience[s], good, positive Aboriginal role models that they see day in and day out,” he said.

The NT’s first NBL player combined his sporting career and knowledge of Aboriginal health to launch Hoops 4 Health in 2002, with hopes to drive better outcomes for the NT’s kids. The organisation’s first base is set to open in about six weeks in one of Palmerston’s northern suburbs. Palmerston is home to 7.9% of the NT’s Indigenous population, according to 2021 census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Mr Duggan said the organisation started as a way to give back to the NT community and engage with kids in the Palmerston and Darwin areas.

Following a royal commission into the protection and detention of children in the NT, he said he was spurred into action and has not missed a weekend session with the kids in Don Dale Youth Detention Centre since 2016. The latest Productivity Commission data shows 96% of NT kids in detention are Indigenous, with First Nations children locked up at a rate 33 times higher than non-Indigenous children. Mr Duggan said Hoops 4 Health was not just about basketball – it was based on Bruce Perry’s neurosequential model for addressing trauma. “Using the trauma-informed model and culturally-informed coaching … can have a big impact in addressing trauma and chronic traumatic experiences,” he said.

The above has been taken from an article Palmerston, NT Closing the Gap efforts should start with kids published in the Gold Coast Bulletin earlier today, 30 August 2023.

founder of Hoops 4 Health, Timmy Duggan OAM with hands on shoulders of young ATSI boy holding basketball, background wall with basketball figures & basketball hoop

Hoops 4 Health founding director Timmy Duggan OAM said the Gap was reaching a ‘crisis’ point and more needed to be done to close it. Photo: Sierra Haigh. Image source: The Gold Coast Bulletin.

100% pass rate for GPs in training

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has today labelled a recent 100% exam pass rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs in training as a phenomenal achievement. It comes following the recent results of the College’s Clinical Competency Exam (CCE), an exam designed to assess clinical competence and readiness for independent practice as a specialist GP.

RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Censor Dr Olivia O’Donoghue congratulated the GPs in training. “As Censor of the faculty this warms my heart and soul to see more of my peers achieving success in these high stakes assessment and moving onto RACGP Fellowship,” she said.  “The RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health faculty and assessment team have improved the Yagila Wadamba program – ‘Learn to heal’ in Wurundjeri – a culturally appropriate AKT and KFP intensive, and there are policies and procedures supported by the faculty Censor to provide additional advocacy and support through training and assessments. Moving towards training and workforce equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GPs is a priority for the RACGP and a key performance indicator for our training program.”

Dr O’Donoghue said that she was keenly focused on boosting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander GP numbers. “We are making progress, but there is a lot more work to be done,” she said. “Numbers of self-identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees have been steadily increasing. The RACGP currently has 60 GPs in training and 124 Fellows. The aim is for greater than 3% representation across training and for Fellows.

To view the RACGP media release RACGP welcomes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander exam success in full click here.

ATSI GP checking patient's heart with stethoscope

Photo: James Cook University General Practice Training. Image source: RACGP newsGP.

IWC tackles antenatal care gap for mums-to-be

The healthcare gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is well-known, but its extent concerning women’s antenatal and reproductive care remains relatively obscure. This is one of the reasons the Indigenous Wellbeing Centre Ltd (IWC) in Bundaberg, Qld, runs a midwifery program that offers monthly ante-natal check-ups, post-birth weigh-ins, and breastfeeding checks. Working alongside participants general practitioners or the hospital ante-natal clinic, this bulk-billed program provides expecting mothers of Bundaberg and North Burnett with vital continuity of care, which has been proven to improve a mum’s comfort level through her pregnancy and into early motherhood.

Through their dedicated work in this program, midwife Stephanie Rackemann and Indigenous health practitioner Lisa McGrady could not ignore the lack of engagement from Indigenous mums-to-be in mainstream healthcare services during their pregnancy in the Bundaberg and North Burnett region. “I’ve seen too many Indigenous mums late in their pregnancy who have not so much as had a GP appointment. It is sad to know that there is such a mistrust of the mainstream health care system that Indigenous mums would rather avoid care,“ Stephanie said.

“There are so many reasons these mums aren’t engaging in their healthcare, with barriers like lack of transport, a lack of understanding on the importance and not having the confidence to speak up and advocate for themselves in a clinical situation,“ Lisa explained. This is where the difference in the IWC Midwifery program comes in. Not only do these mums have access to a knowledgeable, experienced and approachable midwife, but they also have continued access to Lisa.

To view the Bundaberg Today article IWC tackles the gap in antenatal care for Indigenous mums-to-be in full click here.

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner with some of the valuable supplies provided by the community

Lisa McGrady, IWC Indigenous health practitioner with some of the valuable supplies provided by the community. Image source: Bundaberg Today.

Better access for people with diabetes and CVD

“Many Australians have diabetes and cardiovascular disease” (CVD), says Expert Advisory Panel member Professor John Prins. “These chronic diseases cause severe illness and death. But healthcare services are not uniform across Australia for people living with these diseases.” A new Targeted Translation Research Accelerator Research Plan calls for ‘better methods of getting that care to people.”

Prof Prins continued. “One way to improve care is to build our knowledge of the causes of diabetes and CVD. “If you have both these diseases, they get worse faster than if you had just one disease. If we can find common mechanisms causing both diseases we can attack them both at the same time. The research plan also calls for new ways to predict who is at risk of diabetes and CVD and their complications. This will help health practitioners get the right care to people at risk. We want health practitioners to recognise patients they need to escalate to that next level of care. That might be the GP 100kms down the road or a major centre that can do further investigations.”

The plan supports researchers to build our knowledge about disease mechanisms and risk prediction with Incubator project funding. This research will help develop new diagnostics, devices, therapies and risk predictors for people living with diabetes and CVD. The plan also supports funding for large-scale multidisciplinary projects that use technology and data to improve care. The large-scale projects will be codesigned with consumers and health services to:

  • improve remote patient monitoring
  • focus on urban, rural, regional and remote areas
  • focus on First Nations people
  • focus on culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people.

The aim of these projects is to improve access to high-quality, patient-centred care.

To view the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care news article Improving health outcomes for people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease in full click here.

ATSI man gripping chest

Image source; Medical Journal of Australia.

Sector Jobs

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

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

29 August 2023

The image in the feature tile is of NACCHO CEO, Pat Turner at the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia Conference.

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

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

Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia Conference

Day 1 of the Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia conference kicked off today, Tuesday 29 August. Speakers included NACCHO CEO Pat Turner, Professor Tom Calma AO, Tania Rishniw, and Professor Pat Dudgeon AM. The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Ways Forward.’ A reflection on the policy development in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing, mental health, and suicide prevention. Drawing on the significance of the 1995 Ways Forward Report as a milestone in Australia’s mental health history, marking a pivotal moment of collective action and community engagement in shaping the future of mental health care.

“By choosing this theme, we aim to honour the courage and resilience of those who participated in the first national mental health consultation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’, and to recognise the lasting impact of their contributions.

“…This conference theme presents an opportunity to reflect on the progress made since the release of the report, to critically examine the gaps that still exist, and to explore innovative approaches and solutions for the future.”

Learn more here.

Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarships Scheme

Applications for the 2024 Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarships Scheme (PHMSS) open tomorrow, Wednesday 30 August. Offering up to 300 scholarships, PHMSS encourages and assists Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undergraduates in health-related disciplines to complete their studies and join the health workforce. The Australian Government established PHMSS as a tribute to the late Dr Arnold ‘Puggy’ Hunter and his outstanding contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and his role as Chair of NACCHO.

“[PHMSS] means more First Nations nurses, midwives, doctors, dentists, and allied health workers in the health system and directly helping patients in their own local communities in many cases,” said Australian College of Nursing CEO, Professor Kylie Ward.

“The scholarships are deservedly very popular and prestigious. Over the years, we have received more than 7,500 applications,” Professor Ward said.

Applications close Tuesday 10 August. More details are available here.

Ashleigh Ryan. Previous PHMSS recipient. Image source: Australian College of Nursing.

Healing Right Way

More than 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have experienced a stroke or traumatic brain injury in WA have engaged in the Healing Right Way initiative. A collaboration between ACCHOs, hospitals, and the Stroke Foundation, researchers successfully introduced and tested the program, aimed at improving rehabilitation. During the study, Aboriginal brain injury coordinators engaged with patients during their hospital stays, providing both in-person and telephone support for up to six months. The study also delivered cultural training to hospital staff.

“Aboriginal Australians experience stroke and traumatic brain injury at significant rates and a culturally appropriate response to rehabilitation and recovery has been really lacking,” said chief investigator, Professor Beth Armstrong.

Before the Healing Right Way initiative, Aboriginal people who had experienced strokes communicated to Professor Armstrong’s team that their care experience could have been improved through increased cultural sensitivity. This included communication with healthcare providers and higher involvement of Aboriginal healthcare experts in their treatment.

“Healing Right Way was the direct result of these recommendations, and the Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinator role was developed. It is the first such role and nine Coordinators were employed across WA,” said Professor Armstrong.

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Aboriginal Brain Injury Coordinators Rebecca Clinch & Renee Speedy celebrating NAIDOC 2020 with colleagues at Neurological Council of WA. Image Source: National Indigenous Times.

kidney disease on the rise

Kidney disease is on the rise in Australia, with Kidney Health Australia reporting that two million people have kidney disease and 1.8 million are unaware they have the disease. The prevalence of kidney disease in Australia is one in ten, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people it is one in five. Kidney Health Australia Clinical Director, Dr Karen Dwyer said underneath the statistics is a huge wave of people with less advanced kidney disease, who if left untreated may reach kidney failure.

Dr Dwyer said the high prevalence of kidney disease amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be attributed to the impact of “the social determinants of health, such as access to health care, fresh healthy foods and education, lower birth weights and recurrent childhood infections play into a lot of long-term conditions.”

Indigenous Elder, Ronald Morgan said as well as receiving dialysis and the logistics of travel, his diagnosis has also had a large emotional toll.

“[receiving the diagnosis] was very disheartening to have that put on you, especially when you’re in the middle of all these good stuff, you got planned for your life, you know with kids and your wife, stiff like that,” he said.

Dr Dwyer pointed to the implementation Kidney Australia’s guidelines for Culturally Safe and Clinical Kidney Care for First Nations Australians to increase prevention. The guidelines recommend:

  • Addressing institutional racism and cultural safety.
  • Ensuring community and family involvement.
  • Improving access to transportation and accommodation.
  • Supporting and developing an Indigenous health workforce.
  • Screening for kidney disease and referring early for specialist treatment.
  • Promoting self-management through education and public awareness.
  • And exploring alternative models of care that meets the need of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Read the full article here.

Dr Janet Kelly and Nari Sinclair at the launch of Kidney Health Australia’s Guidelines to tackle kidney disease. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

NT GP shortage

According to the Menzies School of Health Research, just 14 people have enrolled in GP vocational training in the NT this year. It comes as the NT is suffering an 80% drop in new GPs in just seven years. A recent summit in Alice Springs saw Federal and local ministers, and stakeholders develop a plan where ‘no patients anywhere in the territory are left behind.’

The summit resulted in a seven-point plan aimed at increasing GP numbers through:

  • Tax relief incentives for GPs.
  • A ‘Portability of entitlement’ scheme allowing doctors to retain employment entitlements when changing locations.
  • A gradient for Aboriginal health salary support, recognizing remoteness through a higher rate.
  • A two-year structured training pathway in the territory for GPs in training.
  • An injection of funds for capital expenditure to upgrade existing housing and build new facilities.
  • Funding for international medical graduates who are not yet registerable as a GP in Australia to train in remote areas.
  • Recruiting up to 10 GPs in training from interstate to work in the NT.

Read more here.

Image source: The Medical Republic.

BRAMS Wear It Purple.

Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS) staff showed off their purple clothes to celebrate Wear It Purple Day on Friday 25 August, to raise awareness on LGBTIQA+ for young people in Australia. Staff participated in a questionnaire survey on questions around LGBTIQA+ and information sessions.

The aim of Wear It Purple is:

Awareness – We provide support and resources for Schools, Universities, Gender & Sexuality Alliances (GSA’s) and Youth Organisations to assist them in creating inclusive experiences for rainbow young people. We act as a source of resources to support the effective delivery of Wear It Purple Day in Schools, Universities, workplaces, and the broader community.

Opportunity – We provide meaningful opportunities for rainbow young people to develop their skills, expand their network and contribute to the inclusivity of their communities.

Environment – We provide supportive and safe spaces (digital and physical) and contribute to a world where young rainbow people feel proud of who they are.

Collaboration – We collaborate and unite with other organisations to further the inclusion of rainbow young people. Through partnerships, we support the effective delivery of Wear It Purple Day in Schools, Universities, workplaces, and the broader community.

For more information about Wear it Purple Day click here.

An Australian Human Rights Commission article Brotherboys, Sistergirls and LGBT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, available here, describes how Brotherboys, Sistergirls and other LGBT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a number of significant and intersecting points of discrimination and marginalisation in Australia.

BRAMS Staff Wear it Purple Day. Image source: BRAMS Facebook.

Sector Jobs

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

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

28 August 2023

feature tile image VAHS premises on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy; text 'Victorian Aboriginal Health Service celebrates 50 YEARS making a difference and saving lives'

The image in the feature tile is of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) premises on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy. The image appeared in an article by Bertrand Tungandame – VAHS celebrates 50 years making a difference and saving lives, published by NTIV Radio on 25 Auguste 2023.

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

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

VAHS marks 50 years of saving lives

The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) was set up in 1973 by Aunty Alma Thorpe, Uncle Bruce McGuiness and other Aboriginal community advocates as a place where Aboriginal people could access medical and social care in a time when racism and other barriers prevented Aboriginal people accessing care. Marking the 50th anniversary on August 18, 2023, VAHS Chairperson Tony McCartney reflected on the importance of the date in the history of not only Aboriginal health, but in the Aboriginal rights movement of Melbourne, Victoria, and Australia at the time.

“…VAHS is the oldest Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in Victoria, and second oldest in the country. Since its inception VAHS has been instrumental in self-determined Aboriginal health and wellbeing in Australia. Since starting from humble beginnings and with volunteers at the small shop front in Fitzroy to a place community members called a home away from home – we have grown into a service with sites across Fitzroy, Preston, Epping and expanding to St Albans in our 50th year,” Tony McCartney said.

Over the years VAHS has achieved many supports and firsts in Australia – including establishing the first Aboriginal dental clinic that travelled around Victoria and to border towns, the first Aboriginal women and children’s program and the country’s leading Aboriginal health worker education program Koori Kollij.

To read the VAHS media release VAHS celebrates five decades of making a difference and saving lives in full click here. You can also listen NITV Radio podcast of VAHS Chairperson Tony McCartner talking about the history of VAHS here.

tile VAHS 50 years 1973-2023 Respect our past. Honour our present. To build our future.

UQ student dental clinic making a difference

Gavin Saltner, Wulli Wulli man is among more than 800 rural patients who attend a student-run dental clinic in SW Queensland each year. The UQ Dental Clinic — run by supervised fifth-year dental students — opened at Dalby 10 years ago, with another practice opening more recently at St George. Mr Saltner said having access to the clinic was important, with cost and travel time making dental treatment prohibitive for some Western Downs residents.

A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) earlier this year found that regional and remote populations had poorer oral health standards than those in the city. It also found that access to fewer dentists, longer travel times and limited transport options impacted the oral health care rural residents received. But the model of the dental clinics in SW Queensland has been deemed so successful it could be used elsewhere. The clinics are a partnership between the university and Indigenous organisation Goondir Health Services.

Goondir Health Services executive Shubham Weling said the unique co-location model and a student-led workforce had the potential to be replicated across a range of allied health fields. “We’re opening a clinic in Chinchilla as well and we want to advocate for this model out there,” Mr Weling said. He said placing the clinics’ treatment rooms within the Indigenous organisation’s building allowed for easy referrals to other services. “So you’ve got cross influence between GPs, dentists, as well as disability support workers for the one client,” Mr Weling said. “It improves the uptake of services and just overall health outcomes and family gain because it’s all interrelated.”

To view the ABC News article UQ free dental health clinic in Dalby improves Indigenous oral health outcomes in full click here.

ATSI man Gavin Saltner in in dental chair at UQ Dalby Dentral Clinic, Goodnir Aboriginal Health Services & Dental Clinic

Gavin Saltner is a regular patient at the UQ Dalby Dental Clinic. The clinic is embedded within the Goondir Health Services facility and treats about 800 Indigenous patients a year. Photo: Laura Cocks, ABC Southern Qld.

Kidney Health 4 Life effectiveness study

Newly diagnosed with kidney disease and want more support? Then Kidney Health 4 Life might be for you!!

This September, Kidney Health Australia is launching a research study to assess the effectiveness of Kidney Health 4 Life , a pilot program designed to help people with kidney disease to self-manage their condition. By participating in the study, you will have access to the program before it goes to the wider public, as well as helping to shape the future of kidney disease support.

You may be eligible for the study if you meet the following criteria:

  • Adults (18+ years) diagnosed with early to mid-stage CKD (Stages 1-4) within the past 12 months (from time of enrolment)
  • Adults (18+ years) who have commenced dialysis (both PD and HD) in the past 12 months (from time of enrolment)

Eligible participants will be assigned to either the program group or standard support group. This will help determine how effective the program is compared to Kidney Health Australia’s standard support. People assigned to the program group will have access to online modules covering topics such as diet and nutrition, disease management, exercise, and managing stress and sleep. Health coaching will also be offered.

People assigned to the standard support group will have access to Kidney Health Australia’s current services including Helpline and Kidney Buddy peer support program and extensive resources. The good news for those assigned to the standard support group is that they will have access to the full KH4L program once the study is complete

If you think you fit the eligibility criteria, you can submit an EOI form on the Kidney Health Australia website here. HURRY. Places are limited.

Kidney Health Australia tile text 'are you new to kidney disease or dialysis & need more support? Apply for the KH4L research study today.

Just 3 in 10 kids had a health check in 2021–22

Just three in 10 First Nations children aged 0–14 years received a health check within the past year, according to new data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The AIHW report — Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander specific primary health care: results from the OSR and nKPI collections, available here, contained data collected from more than 200 organisations.

A total of 586,000 First Nations patients were treated between 2021 and 2022, but only 30% of children had a formal health check in the previous 12 months, making target 4 of the Closing the Gap agreement’s socioeconomic outcome areas — which reads “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children thrive in their early years” — seemingly further away than ever.

With regards to other preventive health measures, 45% of patients received an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health assessment and 47% received a risk assessment for heart disease in the last two years. 70% of patients aged 11 and over had their smoking status recorded in the past year, of which 53% reported quitting smoking or never smoking. Among First Nations patients assessed for CVD risk, 58% aged 35-74 with no known history of CVD reported a low absolute risk within the last two years, 35% were high risk and 7% had a moderate risk. 65% of First Nations patients with type two diabetes reported blood pressure results within recommended guidelines in the past six months, while more than half had a chronic disease management plan completed within the past two years.

To view the Health Services Daily article Just three in 10 First Nations kids had health check in past year in full click here.

young ATSI child having ear check

Image source: QLD Government Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service webpage.

Mental Health for Mob fills service gap

Walgalu-Ngambri and Dharawal woman and Mental Health for Mob founder Kristen Franks has seen and heard a lot over the past decade working in the mental health sector. She has worked across towns in central west NSW and in Canberra and its surrounding regions and helped an array of people – from children, the young, schools and families to pregnant women, the suicidal or self-harming, those with behavioural disorders and in the criminal justice system.

“Throughout all this, I noticed that I was often the first Aboriginal mental health clinician an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person would see,” Kristen says. “It was incredibly difficult to hear this was the first time they’d felt culturally safe [and that] they’ve never felt heard or connected because there was no lived experience understanding.” A decade of hearing this message reached fever pitch in late 2021 when Kristen’s community and Elders supported her to meet this cultural need.

While Kristen never intended to make a profit from offering free mental health care, she soon found herself staring down the hard realities of starting a non-profit organisation. Insurance, registrations and finding a space for clients, to name a few. All while Kristen held down a full-time job and tried to begin to address an “overwhelming” community need. Over the following six months, crowdfunding and some modest grants transformed Mental Health for Mob from an Instagram page that shared mental health resources to a fully fledged mental health service.

You can read the Riotact article How Kristen turned an Instagram page into a culturally safe mental health service in less than six months in full here.

Kristen Franks' face with white body paint & Mental Health for Mob logo

Kristen Franks established Mental Health for Mob. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Emergency aeromedical evacuation training

About 7 million of Australians (about 30%) live in rural and remote areas. People living in these areas have poorer health outcomes overall according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), and also have access to fewer primary, secondary and tertiary health services. Potentially preventable hospitalisations are twice as high as for those in metropolitan and regional areas. A 2023 Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) report found that Australians in rural and remote settings are at substantially higher risk of heart, stroke and vascular disease (accounting for a quarter of all RFDS missions), and the health services are not always there to support them.

A new agreement between CareFlight and Charles Darwin University (CDU) will give health students the opportunity to work in the Top End with emergency aeromedical retrieval teams on flights. The agreement creates clinical placements for future medical students at the CDU Menzies School of Medicine. The university will apply for 40 of 80 places in the Australian Government’s $114.2m Increasing Rural Medical Training Grant Opportunity to support the placements.

Ms Quinn is excited about the CDU partnership. “It is something we have wanted to do for years,” Ms Quinn said. “It is really important for building our workforce for the future. Our patients are some of the most disadvantaged in Australia; they have complex medical problems and disease processes. Students will see what it’s like to be an independent practitioner. It’s not just the medicine – it’s about logistics and making quick decisions,” Ms Quinn said, who added it was a privilege to work in those remote locations.

To view the InSight+ article Tyranny of distance: emergency aeromedical retrieval in outback Australia in full click here.

CareFlight van, plane, patient on gurney, 3 medical professionals

CareFlight treats and transports patients needing specialist care. Photo: CareFlight NT. Image source: InSight+.

Sector Jobs

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

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

18 August 2023

feature tile image pilbara landscape in heatwave; text 'Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service co-designs culturally appropriate heatwave adaption resources'

The image in the feature tile is of the Pilbara region of WA from the article WA’s Pilbara hits 45C as large swathes of Australia swelter in heatwave published in The Guardian on 17 February 2023. Photo: John White, Getty Images.

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

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

Local solutions vital for sustainable healthcare

Amid growing global concerns about the impacts of heatwaves upon health and health services, a regional ACCHO in WA is taking steps to adapt to the changing environment. The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service (KAMS), which represents eight independent member ACCHOs from towns and remote communities across the Kimberley region, is co-designing culturally appropriate heatwave adaptation resources for the region.

Community consultations as part of the KAMS Climate Health Adaptation Project found that heatwaves are a priority issue in the Kimberley region, according to Dr Sophie Moustaka, public health registrar and project officer employed by KAMS for its Climate Health Adaptation Planning project, “We identified that there was an awareness that it is getting hotter, there is an increased intensity of heatwaves, and also less relief between the heatwaves.”.

How health services are addressing climate mitigation and adaptation will be profiled at the Greening the Healthcare Sector Forum next month on 14-15 September, in-person at the Fiona Stanley Hospital, and online, with the aim of providing “opportunities for connection, knowledge sharing, learning and upskilling for all attendees”. Following its theme, “empowering action for sustainable, climate resilient healthcare,” the forum will focus on ‘how’ to empower action and include sessions on Caring for Country, strategy and systems, engagement, leadership and sustainability in practice.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Cultural context, empowered staff and local solutions are vital for sustainable healthcare in full click here.

exterior of KAMS, WA

Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services.

Voice necessary to close the gap

As co-chairs of the National Close the Gap Campaign Karl Briscoe and June Oscar AO say they are privileged to represent 52 First Nations and mainstream organisations, who – since 2006 – have come together as allies to create a national movement committed to ensuring health equity and equality and improved life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Since 2006, this Campaign has advocated for large-scale systemic reform and a paradigm shift in policy design and delivery to truly empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. And since the inception of the Uluru Statement from the Heart the Campaign has supported the full implementation of its three components – Voice. Treaty. Truth.

If successful, the Voice, through constitutional recognition, will allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elected representatives to make representations to the Executive and to Parliament. The Executive can choose to incorporate these representations when creating legislation, policy, or program design. Equally, they can choose not to. But key to this structural reform is that it provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with a constitutionally enshrined voice, a permanent seat at the table, and a genuine opportunity to provide advice on matters that directly affect our lives. The intention of the Voice is to change old practices by governments and their agencies. We cannot keep doing more of the same. Large-scale structural reform is necessary if we ever hope to close the gap.

In truth, across the political and policy spectrum there is a tendency to attribute the lack of progress or success of the Closing the Gap Strategy as the individual failures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. But it is in fact systemic political, institutional and policy failures. It is the continual development of poor policies, pursued and implemented by successive Governments, that consistently fail Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. This has real and often detrimental consequences. It is felt in our lived experiences, it is visible in our exclusion, and it is crippling this nation’s ability to pursue justice, equity, and equality for all. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities know when policy is harmful instead of helpful, and we know what our own communities need to thrive.

To view the Law Society Journal article The Voice is necessary if we want to close the gap in full click here.

portrait shots of Closing the Gap co-chairs Karl Briscoe & June Oscar

Closing the Gap co-hairs Karl Briscoe (image source: Law Society of NSW Journal) and June Oscar (Image source: IndigenousX website).

Mob must be central to LGBTQIA+ plans and policy

Yesterday Dameyon Bonson was a guest on the podcast Joy 94.9 Radio Drive with Warren, discussing why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be central to LGBTQIA+ plans and policies. Dameyon has extensive experience working in and with remote Indigenous communities in suicide prevention and is the founder of Black Rainbow, Australia’s first and only national Indigenous LGBTIQA suicide prevention charity organisation.

Mr Bonson hopes data that has come out of the recent Walkern Katatdjin: Rainbow Knowledge survey will mobilise work that should have been happening decades ago. He explained that until now there has been no data, and when there is no data there is no policy and when there is no policy there is no funding. To date, Mr Bonson said, there has been no formal recognition of First Nations LGBTQIA+ people in any policy across the country, particularly at a Commonwealth level, that one we exist as a population group but also our needs, because as the report stresses the issue is not just about suicidality it is also around mental ill health, homelessness, and drug and alcohol usage. Mr Bonson wants investment in First Nations LGBTQIA+ led work in this space.

To listen to the Joy Drive 94.9 Radio Drive with Warren podcast episode Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be central to LGBTQIA+ plans and policies click here. You can also read an ABC News article Walkern Katatdjin: Rainbow Knowledge survey shines spotlight on mental health issues faced by Indigenous LGBTIQA+ youth about the report referred to in the podcast here.

banner JOY 94.9 Radio DRIVE with Warren & image of Dameyon Bonson

Banner from Joy Media website. Dameyon Bonson is the founder of Australia’s first Indigenous LGBTI support group. Photo: Anthony Pancia, ABC South West.

Lowitja Institute on health and climate strategy

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and research sectors must be resourced appropriately to respond to climate change, according to the Lowitja Institute’s submission to the National Health and Climate Strategy consultation. The Lowitja Institute said their submission to the National Health and Climate Strategy consultation could be summarised under the following nine themes.

  • strengths-based
  • governance matters
  • resource services
  • emissions reduction
  • building the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mitigation and adaptation workforce
  • dedicated research funding
  • human rights and climate justice
  • terminology matters
  • acknowledgements

You can access the National Health and Climate Strategy consultation paper here and read the Croakey Health Media article Nine key messages for the National Health and Climate Strategy: Lowitja Institute in full click here.

cover of Aust Govt Dept Hlth & Aged Care National Health & Climate Strategy Consultation Paper

Understanding the toll of everyday racism

Everyday racism is a familiar experience for many Indigenous people in Australia. Its impact on wellbeing has been understood anecdotally, but a long-term study has recently been able to demonstrate this with data. In an epsiode of BLA.C.K Medicine, Dr Mikayala Couch chatted with Kirsty Nichols about Mayi Kuwayu, a ground-breaking research project tracking Indigenous health over time. The Mayi Kuwayu Study is a large-scale project tracking 12,000 participants over time, providing data for Indigenous-led research projects.

One project that developed from the study was to determine how much psychological distress is caused by everyday racism. Two thirds of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adult population have experienced the eight types of everyday discrimination included in the study. Examples of everyday racism include being treated with less respect than other people or being given worse service. People reported being insulted or yelled at, being treated as stupid, or dangerous, or followed around in shops. The study demonstrated that for those with high or very high psychological stress, up to half of it was caused by everyday racism. If we eliminated everyday racial discrimination, we could hypothetically half the gap in the prevalence of high to very high psychological distress.

The study aims to provide data for research that can address Indigenous health from an Indigenous perspective. People can apply to access data from the study to develop research projects that align with Indigenous needs. These strategies need to be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified and led. We can no longer afford for anything we do to improve health to be implemented through the white lens. And also, the white savior complex that these western institutional changes are born out of needs to stop.

You can listen to the SBS BLA.C.K Medicine podcast episode Understanding the toll of everyday racism here.
banner for BLA.C.K. Medicine podcast episode Understanding the toll of everyday racism & image of ATSI woman Kirsty Nichols

Kirsty Nichols (pictured left) is a Muran and Kungarakun woman who works in health service policy, public health, system planning and delivery. Image source: SBS.

Too Deadly for Diabetes funding boost

A successful program supporting people living with Type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal communities will benefit from a funding boost so that more people will be able to access the service. NSW Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park has pledged $40,000 to Too Deadly for Diabetes to work with the Walhallow Aboriginal Health Corporation to expand its community-based lifestyle programs. Too Deadly for Diabetes is a research-based lifestyle program developed by Gomeroi man Ray Kelly, and is run primarily through local Aboriginal Medical Services.

“I was so impressed to see this initiative in action through the Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service and the incredibly positive impact it’s having on the local community,” Mr Park said. “We know that communities are achieving great health results, and with the right support they can accomplish even more. I’m pleased to be able to help this program expand into other communities where it can make a big difference. This funding will allow Too Deadly for Diabetes to expand into more regional communities, including Quirindi, Caroona, and for the first time Werris Creek.”

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, David Harris, welcomed the funding that would improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people, particularly in rural and regional areas. “The further you get from major centres in NSW, the worse your health outcomes are. This is particularly the case for chronic disease in our Aboriginal communities,” Mr Harris said. “This funding boost shows our commitment to closing the gap in health outcomes.”

To view the NSW Health media release Too Deadly for Diabetes given funding boost in full click here. You can also find more information about the Too Deadly for Diabetes program, including videos like the one below on the Too Deadly for Diabetes website here.

Sector Jobs

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

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

19 July 2023

feature tile of Aboriginal mother holding baby & young girl interacting with the baby; text 'Structural and systemic change will have a positive effect on trajectory of CTG targets'

The image in the feature tile is from am article More to be done on closing gap for Indigenous wellbeing published in The Canberra Times on 8 March 2023.

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

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

Structural reform needed to CTG

The Productivity Commission’s third Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report shows only four of the 19 targets are on track, while four have deteriorated. “Four targets are getting worse – this is not acceptable. More of the same isn’t good enough, we have to do better. A Voice to Parliament will help to close the Gap, because we know that listening to communities leads to better outcomes that improve people’s lives,” said Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney. Similarly, Coalition of Peaks lead convenor [and NACCHO CEO] Patricia Turner said that “When structural and systemic change is made, there will naturally be a positive effect on the trajectory of the Closing the Gap targets.”

Encouragingly the latest report shows the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed is improving and on track. There has been a 30% reduction in the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10–17 years) in detention, while preschool enrolments have improved. Land subject to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s legal rights or interests also remains on track.

However the data shows a slide in the number of children developmentally on track, increased numbers of children in out-of-home care, increased adult incarceration rates and an alarming rise from baseline in suicide. Peak body for Indigenous Children SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said the gap was becoming a chasm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. “More and more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being removed from families and put into out-of-home care. Fewer children are developmentally on track when starting school. Where we are seeing progress it’s encouraging but it’s not happening at the scale required for genuine reform. Australia needs to do things differently if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are going to have a brighter future.”

To view the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Journal (ANMJ) article Voice to Parliament the structural reform needed to Closing the Gap in full click here.cover of Australian Government Productivity Commission Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report July 2023

WAMS launches Freedom Rides Memorial and website

The Freedom Riders arrived in Walgett on 15 February 1965. They protested outside the Walgett RSL Club because they had been told the club was refusing to admit Indigenous ex-servicemen. After their protest their bus was run off the road by a car driven by an unidentified person. This event led to Walgett, the Freedom Riders and the plight of Indigenous Australians in rural NSW getting national and international media attention. Little of the history of the Freedom Rides however was publicly recorded or known from the perspective of local Aboriginal people from Walgett, who both themselves and their ancestors took part in this significant event in history.

On Monday this week (17 July 2023) the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) launched the Freedom Ride Memorial Park and Freedom Rides to Walgett website. The Remembering the Freedom Ride to Walgett project was initiated by WAMS Chairperson Mary Purse, the daughter of the late Harry Hall who was a primary leader, along with the late Charles Perkins (AO). The project includes history and archival research to tell the story of the Freedom Rides and its surrounding events from the perspective of the local Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay people. It is being led by Mary Purse, assisted by Christine Corby OAM, the CEO of WAMS. WAMS has been collaborating on this project with a historian from Nura Gili, University of NSW to research the history through participation of local community members and their families who took part in these events.

The project began with WAMS securing state government funding to develop an artwork to commemorate the Freedom Ride to Walgett to be displayed in a park in Walgett.  The display’s focus is on Walgett’s association with the Freedom Ride, identifying significant local Aboriginal people who had a key role in the demonstrations and events specific to the town.

To access the Freedom Rides to Walgett website click here.

WAMS staff in front of Freedom Rides to Walgett 1965 Memorial Park sign, 17.7.23

WAMS staff at the launch of Freedom Rides Memorial Park. Image source: WAMS.

Financial barriers to sight-saving treatment

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are ending up with avoidable blindness because of the high out-of-pocket costs of sight-saving treatments, according to Dr Guy Gillor, Lose (Rose) Fonua and Associate Professor Mitchell Anjou. As well, the most common treatment for diabetic retinopathy, an intravitreal injection, is challenging to access, as it involves multiple and regular treatments, predominantly in private ophthalmology clinics. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the three conditions that contribute most to avoidable blindness for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Gillor, Fonua and Anjou from the Indigenous Eye Health Unit (IEHI) at the University of Melbourne, say “Without a public or no-cost option, these fees mean the difference between retaining one’s vision, and losing it.” In the absence of such a solution, the IEHU has developed a new information sheet – Diabetic Retiopathy Treatment and Cost in Private Practice, available here, to support patients and healthcare teams in negotiating access for intravitreal injection treatment with private ophthalmology clinics.

To view the Croakey Health Media article Financial barriers to sight-saving treatment are leading to avoidable blindness in full click here.

ATSI man having an eye test

Image source: AHCSA website.

ACCHO to deliver healthcare in youth justice centre

Barwon Health has been commissioned to deliver healthcare services to young people at the new Cherry Creek Youth Justice Centre, just outside of Little River, a town approximately 44kms SW of Melbourne. To open next month, the $419m facility is funded and managed by the Department of Justice and Community Safety and will accommodate young men aged 15–17 who are sentenced or on remand.

Barwon Health public health and primary care co-director Deborah Kay said the regional health service’s vision for Cherry Creek was to offer a range of comprehensive culturally safe services tailored to the needs of the young people in the facility. “We will work with the young people to build knowledge, health literacy, resilience and trusted relationships while preserving dignity and enhancing health outcomes. We know that young people need to be engaged and empowered to understand their own health needs and treatment options.”

Barwon Health will partner with Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative to ensure safe and high-quality care is provided. Ms Kay said it was important to establish a safe, appropriate and sustainable service that was culturally safe for young people from a range of backgrounds.

To view the Geelong Times article Barwon Health to provide services at Cherry Creek in full click here.

exterior of Cherry Creek Youth Justice Precinct

The Cherry Creek Youth Justice Precinct will accommodate young men aged 15 to 17 who are sentenced or on remand. Image source: Geelong Times.

New research to look at dietary practices

Victoria University (VU) researchers have received a VicHealth $230,000 grant to investigate Aboriginal Australian dietary practices and place-making in public health equity. The two-year project, led by Dr Kristina Vingrys together with VU’s Indigenous Academic Unit Moondani Balluk, hopes to uncover ancestral Aboriginal knowledge about the ‘deadly tucker’ and Aboriginal food practices that can be used by the Aboriginal community today. “The project aims to support Aboriginal people and Country, to strengthen social and emotional wellbeing, inter-cultural understanding, skills and knowledge to support sustainable, healthy food systems, and reduce health inequities currently experienced by Aboriginal Australians in Victoria,” Dr Vingrys said.

The multidisciplinary project will involve Aboriginal community and researchers, with research expertise also from dietitians, community psychology, sociology and ecology teams. “We hope to also gather information through lived experiences – we want to uncover the lost knowledge about traditional foods that were grown in the Kulin Nation and the practices around growing, harvesting and preparing them” Dr Vingrys explained. “We are also really interested in identifying the potential nutritional benefits that might have been prescribed to those consuming these foods.”

Moondani Balluk Executive Director Karen Jackson said: “Once the knowledge has been gathered, it will be protected and used by and for the local Aboriginal community for cultural healing and place-making to support their social and emotional wellbeing.”

To view the University of Victoria article VicHealth funding for new research looking at Aboreiginal Australian dietary practies and place-making in full click here.

Pelargonium - a tuberous root plant that was used by Aboriginal people

Pelargonium – a tuberous root plant that was used by Aboriginal people. Image source: Victoria University News webpage.

Mob contribute to health and climate strategy

The Australian Government is engaging with First Nations leaders as it develops Australia’s first National Health and Climate Strategy. Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney MP is holding a roundtable today with First Nations peak bodies and representatives from across Australia. The Strategy will provide a plan of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the health system and better prepare the sector for the challenges presented by climate change, including threats specific to the health and wellbeing of First Nations people.

Climate change threatens to disrupt connections to Country, further limit access to safe drinking water and increase the difficulty in accessing appropriate housing, infrastructure and health services. Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and expertise in the strategy will strengthen climate adaptation and mitigation planning. Co-designing the strategy in partnership with First Nations peoples across the country is essential to its successful development and implementation.

Minister Kearney said “The World Health Organisation has described climate change as the greatest threat to public health in the 21st century. First Nations people already face inequality in health outcomes, and these will only be exacerbated by climate change – it is critical we hear from First Nations people as we develop this strategy.”

To view the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Ged Kearney MP’s media release First Nations voices input to National Health and Climate Strategy in full click here. In the below video residents of Poruma (Coconut) Island, a low-lying coral cay in the Central Islands group of the Torres Strait, calling for urgent action to help protect their island from the coastal flooding and erosion linked to climate change.

Sector Jobs

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

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

14 July 2023

feature tile image graphic art of black & white hands reaching across Aboriginal flag; text 'Coalition of Peaks says governments lack "necessary courage" to close the gap on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage'

The image in the feature tile by Dionne Gain appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald article Missing the target: goodwill fails to overcome entrenched inequalities published on 15 February 2020.

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

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

‘Courage’ needed to address disadvantage

The Coalition of Peaks, which was involved in a 2020 overhaul of the approach to closing the gap, said the barriers facing Indigenous Australians were the result of a “tremendous and successive failure of public administration” involving neglect, discrimination and the “whims of politics”. In a powerful argument for enshrining a Voice to Parliament in the constitution, the group argued: “Our seats at the table with governments and public servants have too often been temporary, interchangeable, and all for show”.

The arguments were detailed in a letter to the Productivity Commission’s first three-yearly review of the closing the gap targets. The Coalition of Peaks lamented the lack of overall progress. The latest Closing the Gap data, published on Wednesday, showed just four of 19 targets were on track to be met, and a further four were getting worse. The peak body said while it was encouraged by some of the progress, the overall efforts were “too inconsistent” and “lack the necessary courage”. In a stinging criticism, the peak body said governments and public servants had benefited from the “notorious reputation” of Indigenous affairs as the most difficult set of policy problems to address.

“It is without doubt that the barriers our people face are complex and multifaceted,” the letter stated. “But they are a consequence of what our people have endured for millennium. It has been a tremendous and successive failure of public administration featuring the whims of politics, neglect, discrimination, top-down approaches, legislative changes, defunding and investment, distributed responsibilities and everchanging goal posts.”

You can view the Australian Government Productivity Commission’s Closing the Gap Annual Data Compilation Report July 2023 here and the Narrogin Observer article Pilbara Aboriginal groups back Yes vote and call for real action to improve lives in full click here.

back of man holding Aboriginal flag at protest outside APH

Photo: Michael Black, ABC News.

Transformative ‘Big Dream, Small Steps’ traineeships

There was an air of excitement and anticipation in the room at Mackay Base Hospital (MBH) last week as 10 students with big dreams took a step towards pursuing careers in the health sector. The Budyubari Bidyiri Kebi Stapal (Big Dream, Small Steps) program 2023 cohort are beginning twelve-month school-based traineeships across selected departments of MBH which will equip them with a Certificate lll qualification in either Health Services Assistance, Allied Health Assistance or Dental Assistance.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Program Officer Emily Vanderwolf said the Year 11 students came from seven Mackay region high schools. “We had nine students graduate from the first Big Dream Small Steps program last year and we are excited to have another 10 students who are wanting to take up this opportunity to complete Certificate III qualifications while they are finishing high school,” Ms Vanderwolf said. “The aim of the program is to build our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce to better reflect the community we care for.”

There were also some proud family members on hand at Tuesday’s induction day. Andrea Pinkard, whose daughter Lara graduated from last year’s program, felt it was a good career move for her son Fletcher. “Fletcher’s older sister really enjoyed the program and she has now been accepted into James Cook University to study pharmacy,” Ms Pinkard said. “I thought it would be a great program for Fletcher as well.”

To read the Mackay and Whitsunday Life article Taking Big Dreams To The Healthcare Horizon in full click here.

2023 Big Dream Small Steps trainees are, back from left, Dom Battersby (MCC), Fletcher Pinkard and Bella Roberts (Mirani SHS), Jess Maley (St Patricks College), Yasmin Johnston (Pioneer SHS), and front from left, Martia Gela (Sarina SHS), Macy Rudken (Mackay SHS), Tiani Walker (Mackay North SHS), Ellie Hansen (Mackay SHS) and Brenice’Sha Blanco (Sarina SHS)

The 2023 Big Dream Small Steps trainees are, back from left, Dom Battersby (MCC), Fletcher Pinkard and Bella Roberts (Mirani SHS), Jess Maley (St Patricks College), Yasmin Johnston (Pioneer SHS), and front from left, Martia Gela (Sarina SHS), Macy Rudken (Mackay SHS), Tiani Walker (Mackay North SHS), Ellie Hansen (Mackay SHS) and Brenice’Sha Blanco (Sarina SHS). Image source: Mackay Whitsunday Life.

Overcoming fragmented child and family services

One of the biggest challenges for people who most need social services is navigating a fragmented service system. Everyone leads a complex life, and the issues we face don’t necessarily fit into neat boxes. Government services, on the other hand, are delivered in siloes through individual contracts, resulting in multiple individual services with little connection between them.

Services that help with issues such as child and family, early child education, domestic violence, homelessness / housing, health and mental health are all hampered when delivered in a fragmented way. Understanding the impacts of this and how to overcome them is important not only for those working in these systems, but the people designing and funding them as well. Those with the greatest need are least likely to access the services or receive the comprehensive support they need.

Social Ventures Australia (SVA) recently launched Happy, healthy and thriving children: Enhancing the impact of Integrated Child and Family Centres in Australia, a discussion paper, available here, exploring current integrated child and family centre (ICFC) models in Australia. It focuses on the key enablers and barriers impacting the outcomes delivered. ICFCs are not currently defined nor consistently recognised as a service model in the Australian early years landscape. There is currently no national approach to delivery, and no overall leadership or responsibility for outcomes. And while quality is essential for integrated centre outcomes, there is currently no overarching approach to measuring or assessing quality.

To view The Sector article Integrated child and family centres overcome fragmented service delivery in full click here.

Aboriginal Child & Family Centre NSW

Aboriginal Child and Family Centre (ACFC), NSW. Image source: NSW Government ACFC webpage.

CTG report shows ‘privileged’ claims absurd

Nothing highlights the absurdity of claims Indigenous Australians would become a “privileged group” or that the nation would be divided by race if the country votes “yes” than the latest Closing The Gap report which shows a huge disparity between the rates of incarceration, suicide, life expectancy and infant and child mortality for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Study to help young men take care of mental health

Curtin University has been given nearly $100,000 by Healthway for a study aimed to help young Aboriginal men aged 14-25 take care of their mental health and well-being. The research team will collaborate with young Indigenous men to understand their thoughts on mental health and how they currently promote their well-being, also exploring the challenges and factors that support mental well-being and resilience.

Lead researcher from Curtin’s School of Population Health, Professor Penelope Hasking, said the team will create and test mental health messages that are culturally appropriate and meaningful to young Aboriginal men. “We will conduct co-design workshops to develop new strengths-based approaches to increase mental health literacy and mental health promotion grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being, which might include social media campaigns or mass media campaigns,” she said. “We will soon be recruiting our research team to guide the project, which will comprise young Aboriginal men and Aboriginal Elders before we commence an initial pilot within the City of Stirling early next year.”

Lotterywest and Healthway CEO Ralph Addis congratulated Professor Hasking and her team, and all researchers who received funding through Healthway’s Targeted Research Round, “We look forward to the outcomes of all the research projects, including Curtin’s which will improve the mental health literacy and reduce health inequities among young Aboriginal men.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article Curtin University to conduct study into young Indigenous men’s mental health and wellbeing in full click here.

Professor Penelope Hasking, Curtin University

Curtin University’s Professor Penelope Hasking. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Key Date – National Diabetes Week – 9–15 July 2023

Each day during National Diabetes Week 2023 NACCHO has been sharing information relating to diabetes as it impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

An article published last month in the International Journal of Epidemiology – The impact of diabetes during pregnancy on neonatal outcomes among the Aboriginal population in Western Australia: a whole-population study, available here, found:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have a high prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy (DIP), which includes pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The study which aimed to characterize the impact of DIP in babies born to Aboriginal mothers found DIP differentially increased the risks of fetal overgrowth, shoulder dystocia and congenital anomalies in Aboriginal babies. The study authors said improving care for Aboriginal women with diabetes and further research on preventing shoulder dystocia among these women can reduce the disparities.

Desiree Weetra who was diagnosed with gestational diabetes holding her baby

Like many Aboriginal mothers in the Northern Territory, Desiree Weetra was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Photo: Michael Franchi, ABC News.