Nov 14 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: World Diabetes Day 2023

World Diabetes Day 2023
First Nations Director Scholarships Program
Collective action for environment, climate and health at HEAL 2023
Winnunga pivotal to ACT’s health system
A long drive for a healthier smile
Mental Health paper in Arrernte language
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is from Canva.

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.

World Diabetes Day 2023

Tuesday 14 November is World Diabetes Day, with the theme Know your Risk, Know your Response. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are grossly over-represented in the diabetes burden of disease compared to other Australians. The prevalence of diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults is three times the national rate for non-Indigenous people, and youth onset type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly. There is an urgent need for earlier diagnosis and a focus on prevention.

NACCHO’s September 2023 Inquiry into Diabetes recommends:

Any interventions to address diabetes align with the National Agreement and its four Priority Reform Areas.
Government adopts a ‘heath in all policies’ approach, recognising that health outcomes are influenced by a wide range of social, commercial, political, environmental and cultural determinants.
The Australian Government allocates diabetes funding based on burden of disease not population.
Working in partnership with the sector and young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop better health programs to support young people with diabetes.
The Australian Government supports ACCHOs to conduct nationally standardised screening and follow-up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children for diabetes.
The development of resources to support implementation of new screening recommendations.
Changes to MBS to improve availability of point of care diagnostics aligned with best practice.
The Australian Government supports ACCHOs to deliver high-quality models of antenatal care which include midwife continuity, and antenatal and postnatal screening for diabetes, and breastfeeding support.
Funding for GLP1 RA for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with obesity, given its association with type 2 diabetes and establish regulatory framework that prioritises equitable supply toward communities with the greatest burden of type 2 diabetes.
Changes to the PBS to allow concurrent prescribing of GLP1 RAs and SGLT2 inhibitors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with type 2 diabetes.
Government funds novel models of CGM use and evaluation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
ACCHOs are funded to deliver holistic health promotion, prevention and engagement programs that normalise good health.
ACCHOs are funded to establish health promotion and prevention teams to support community health.
Funding to embed non-dispensing pharmacists in ACCHOs to support chronic disease management.
Funding ACCHRTOs to work in partnership with universities to develop nationally accredited skillsets and pathways to support Aboriginal Health Practitioners to become Credentialled Diabetes Educators.
ACCHRTOs are funded to co-design nationally certified diabetes prevention and better health resources to support ACCHO workforce upskilling and training.
The Australian Government redirects funding to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes to the ACCHO sector.

Read the full Inquiry into Diabetes here.

First Nations Director Scholarships Program

In its inaugural round, the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is partnering with the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) to support 45 directors and senior leaders in the First Nations community-controlled sector who are ready to step into governance roles. The program is aimed at developing a pipeline of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander directors with the skills and capability to be appointed to First Nations and non-First Nations boards. The program will provide 135 foundational and senior governance scholarships over the next three years. Participants will have access to world-class governance education as well as a program of culturally relevant and community-informed mentoring and workshops.

The Program supports the National Agreement on Closing the Gap Priority Reform Two and the Government’s commitment to building a strong and sustainable First Nations community-controlled sector that delivers high quality services to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country. The scholarship is open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders currently sitting on a board or committee of a member (or subsidiary member) organisation of the Coalition of Peaks. Applicants will be required to upload a Letter of Support from their organisation endorsing applicant’s participation in the program and agreeing to fund travel costs in excess of $500 (excl GST).

Applications close Sunday 26 November. Find more information here.

Image source: Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Collective action for environment, climate and health at HEAL 2023

On this week, the Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) Conference is bringing together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wisdom, sustainable development, epidemiology, and data science and communication, to share knowledge, and to put that knowledge into action as we face the health challenges of environmental degradation and climate change. In the leadup to the HEAL Network conference Veronica Matthews, Associate Professor at the University Centre for Rural Health at the University of Sydney, told Croakey that, while it’s good we now have a government open to “listening to the science of climate change” and genuine policy commitments, it may not be “enough to reign in the consequences of climate change that we are living with now.”

“Anything we do really has to think about a decolonising process,” Ms Matthews said.

“We need to remedy what the colonial impacts have done to use, the detrimental impacts that we’ve endured, as well as strengthen the value and appreciation of Indigenous knowledge systems and what they can bring.”

Read the full Croakey Health Media article here.

After the 2019/20 bushfires on Karta Pintingga/Kangaroo Island. Image by: Alison Barrett.

Winnunga pivotal to ACT’s health system

Julie Tongs has been the CEO of Winnunga for 25 years and says her vision has always been for Winnunga to be a leader in the provision of primary health care. Speaking to Canberra City News, Ms Tongs said the ACCHO located on Ngunnawal Country is “pivotal to the overall health system in the ACT and surrounding NSW region.”

In the 2021/22 financial year, Winnunga provided 92,000 occasions of care to 8,295 clients. This included COVID-19 vaccinations, testing clinics, telephone consults, walk-in services to GPs, as well as psychologists, psychiatrists, podiatrist, optometry, physiotherapy, dieticians, drug and alcohol support and mental health nurses.

“They come to use because they feel safe here and not judged,” Ms Tongs said.

Read the full article here.

Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs. Image source: Canberra City News.

A long drive for a healthier smile

Access to essential services, including dental care, remains a challenge for people living in remote areas, and the disparity in healthcare opportunities often results in enduring suffering for those without access. From Gibb River Station, Warrawa man Uncle Clyde Russ undertook a challenging 376km journey to see an Air Force dentist in Derby, WA. At age 72, Uncle Clyde said he usually “hates” dental check-ups and puts off going.

“It’s my least favourtie thing, seeing the dentist. I think that is why I let my teeth get bad,” Uncle Clyde said.

“I really love the [Air Force] dental team at the Derby Aboriginal Health Service.

“They help me feel at ease, and have done the procedures so they don’t hurt at all.”

Now, Uncle Clyde encourages others to look after their dental health.

Mental Health paper in Arrernte language

Research on the importance of cultural continuity for Central Australian Aboriginal men’s mental health has been translated into Eastern/Central Arrernte, making it one of the first academic papers to be translated in full into an Australian Aboriginal Language. Eastern/Central Arrernte is one of the most commonly spoken Aboriginal languages in Australia, in an area of Central Australia that includes Alice Springs and East MacDonnell Ranges.

The paper discusses kinship, language, religious and economic activities that can help restore traditional knowledge, which can in turn help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men develop positive identity and mental health.

Read in Eastern/Central Arrernte here. Read in English here.

Eastern/Central Arrernte abstract translation.

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.

Oct 9 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Purple House shows what ‘yes’ could achieve

Purple House shows what ‘yes’ could achieve
Why mob have a lower life expectancy
Online Self-Care Yarning Circles for managers
Limb loss through amputation a ‘hidden’ disability
Never too late for a career change
Rural placements offer full scope of practice
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is from the article Purple House provides model of what ‘yes’ could achieve published in the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader on 7 October 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.

Purple House shows what ‘yes’ could achieve

Within two decades, central Australia has gone from having the worst survival rates on dialysis to the best. In large part the turnaround is due to Purple House, an AACCHO based in Alice Springs. CEO Sarah Brown says Purple House is an example of how Aboriginal people and communities can come up with creative and innovative solutions to issues. Ms Brown believes it shows how an Indigenous voice to parliament could work if voters support the referendum on October 14.

In the late 1990s, Pintupi people from the Western Desert of central Australia were forced to leave their country and families to seek treatment for end-stage renal failure in hospital in Alice Springs or Darwin. 1,000 kms from home and family, they suffered great loneliness and hardship, and weren’t around to pass on cultural knowledge in their communities. In 2000, Papunya Tula artists from Walungurru and Kiwirrkurra collaborated on four stunning paintings which were auctioned along with other works at the Art Gallery of NSW, raising over $1m, which was used to start the Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation. Now called Purple House, it practises a model of care based around family, country and compassion.

Indigenous people have higher rates of diabetes as well as a higher rate of hospitalisation and death from diabetes than non-Indigenous Australians. Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases were the fifth-leading cause of death for Indigenous Australians in 2015–2019. In that period, 7.3% of Indigenous Australian deaths were due to diabetes, with the rates in remote Australia more than three times higher than non-remote areas. “It’s a little bit complex but the simple answer is that it’s about dispossession, powerlessness, and poverty,” Ms Brown said. “It’s about access to healthy food and clean water. “It’s about access to education, with housing. “It’s about being able to access culturally appropriate services in the place that keeps you strong, with your family around you, so a lot of things that other Australians absolutely take for granted but that Aboriginal people in remote communities still don’t have access to.”

To view the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader article Purple House provides model of what ‘yes’ could achieve in full click here.

The Purple Truck, a self-contained dialysis unit on wheels, in Central Australia

The Purple Truck is a self-contained dialysis unit on wheels which gives patients with end-stage renal failure the chance to return to home for family, cultural or sorry business. Image source: Purple House website.

Why mob have a lower life expectancy

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a significantly lower life expectancy than non-Indigenous Australians. The gap in life expectancy is on average 7.8 years for females and 8.6 years for males, though it wasn’t so long ago that it was 20+ years. ‘Why’ is a big question. Dr Zac Turner, who presents a weekly column Ask Doctor Zac says the answer to this question lies within conversations about health, science, economics and government.

Dr Turner believes to work out what can be done requires us to ask the right questions. Having grown up in literally out ‘the Back-o-Bourke’ and several other small rural towns, Dr Turner say it was shocking to him that his Indigenous Australian friends would live on average 20 years less at that time. He said the life expectancy gap is a staggeringly high disparity between populations in one country, especially a developed and prosperous nation. Dr Turner explained that while resources have been given to Indigenous Australians, the non-Indigenous understanding of what needs to happen to create change has been left without proper consultation. In addition, many of the funding routes and opportunities that have been allocated by one government have then been swiftly changed by the next.

Life expectancy is measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and covers not only health, but also social factors such as education, employment, housing and income. These social factors (the social determinants of health) are responsible for at least a third of the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. From the outset, Indigenous Australians have higher rates of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illnesses. Indigenous Australians also often experience socio-economic disadvantage, which is closely linked to health outcomes as it limits access to healthcare, nutritious food, and safe housing. Dr Turner believes the continuous feedback from a body such as the Voice may just be the assistance needed to closing this gap.

To view the news.com.au article ‘Why do Indigenous people have a shorter life expectancy?’ in full click here.

road sign with 179kms to Pindar, 512 Murchison Settlement etc beside dirt road Australian outback

Photo: Tamati Smith, Getty Images. Image source: news.com.au

On-line Self-Care Yarning Circles

Two senior Aboriginal psychologists from the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association will be hosting a Self-Care Yarning Circle tomorrow Tuesday 10 October 2023.

It is an opportunity for ACCHO and NACCHO Managers to discuss their challenges and get insights into ways to look after their own personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of their team.

Spaces are capped at 25 so sign up now!

TOMORROW Tuesday 10 October – to register click here
Wednesday 18 October – to register click here

There will also be two Self-Care Yarning Circles available for anyone working at an ACCHO or NACCHO on:

Thursday 12 October 2023 – details available here
Monday 23 October 2023 – details available here

Limb loss through amputation a ‘hidden’ disability

The oldest known example of a successful surgical amputation dates back to 31,000 years ago. But in day-to-day life, amputation is not an experience that receives a lot of attention. National Amputee Awareness Week (4–11 October) aims to spotlight the experiences of people who’ve lost a limb. Darrel Sparke is President of Amputees NSW,says the reality for many people who undergo an amputation is a confronting experience, “it’s a hidden community, because amputation makes you want to retreat from society, because now you’re a spectacle. Nobody really gets prepared, there’s nothing else you do in life that gets you prepared for losing a part of your body, in such a visible and highly impacted way.”

There are number of reasons people undergo an amputation, including trauma like a car accident or workplace injury, or cancer and other diseases. One of the leading causes is diabetes – and it’s a condition that’s on the rise. Australia has the second highest rate of diabetes-related amputations in the OECD. In any given year, about 5,100 Australians with diabetes will undergo an amputation as a result of complications from the condition. However it’s an issue that continues to disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. According to Diabetes Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are almost three times more likely than non-Indigenous Australians to have diabetes.

The serious consequences of this disparity were recently spotlighted by Tanya Hosch, Executive General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy at the Australian Football League. In August Ms Hosch, who is of Torres Strait Islander descent, stood to speak at the launch of the campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, where she shared a deeply personal and real story, “a little over two weeks ago, I had my lower right leg amputated. I have type 2 diabetes and I contracted a related disease, that I have battled for 3 years and across six surgeries, trying to avoid the loss of my limb. I’m not without privilege, and access to services, but still the service design let me down.” In her speech, Ms Hosch advocated for Indigenous-controlled healthcare to improve outcomes.

You can listen to, or read a transcript of, the SBS News Headlines on Health podcast episode Australia’s ‘hidden’ disability – and one of the world’s oldest medical practices in full here.

banner of SBS News podcast 'hidden' disability & ATSI amputee Tanya Hosch

SBS News podcast banner. Australian for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition Tanya Hosch, who lost a leg to diabetes. Image source: The Australian.

Never too late for a career change

These days Jennie Waters, 66, runs the only Indigenous disability service provider in SW Queensland – but the tale started long before that. A proud Kamilaroi woman, Ms Waters grew up in St George, one of six children born into a bicultural family, “smack bang in the middle of the assimilation period.” She says, that nevertheless, she had a wonderful childhood, loving parents and a wonderful education. She married young and had two children in quick succession. Ms Waters knew she wanted to continue to study, but suddenly that was not an option.

As the kids were growing up Ms Waters was finally in a position in her life to contemplate further study. She enrolled in a Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) at the University of Southern Queensland as a mature age student she was 35 and graduated in 1996. While studying, Ms Waters worked at the local TAFE college as an Indigenous support officer. After graduating, I was offered a role as the southwest Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander co-ordinator for Queensland Health.

It was Ms Waters’ daughter who recognised the need for a specialised disability service in our region and eventually Ms Waters decided to start her own business. Indigicare Connect has been running for eight years now and it’s the only Indigenous disability service provider in SW Queensland. Indigicare Connect is 100% Indigenous owned and 70% of staff are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The above is an extract from the article Never too late to follow your dreams’: Jennie Waters on her late career change published in the Cairns Post on 7 October 2023.

66 year old Jennie Water St George Managing Director Indigicare Connect, in work uniform standing by river

Jennie Waters. Image source: Cairns Post.

Rural placements offer full scope of practice

Rural health care placements offer a range of students a broader scope of practice in their first years after graduation, according to a recent narrative review published in the Medical Journal of Australia. The review, undertaken by members of seven Australian universities with departments of rural health, explored the efficacy of their programs, as well as the overall benefits of rural placements for students and communities. Ms Sandra Walsh, a Research Assistant with the University of SA Department of Rural Health, was the lead author, “The biggest challenge for rural health right now, and into the future, is growing and sustaining a rural health workforce. Rural placements are one part of that puzzle. We know we can change the way people perceive rural health through rural placement.”

The review found that successful rural placements changed perceptions about rural practice, leading to more students deciding to work rurally. The main reason for the success of rural placements was the ability for students to work at the top of their scope of practice, Ms Walsh said. “The feedback from students is that they get to do and see so much more on a rural placement,” she said. The review found several other factors leading to students who completed rural placements staying in rural work, including a more collaborative working environment. “In country areas where you don’t have a huge team of specialists, people often work in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary way,” Ms Walsh said.

Rural placements also offer students a unique opportunity to work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care. “Students valued the opportunity to learn about First Nations culture and gained a better understanding of their health needs,” she said. “Working in partnership with local Aboriginal health organisations to provide a placement was good for the organisations, good for the people and good for the students.” The review also identified that one of the consistent elements of a successful student placement was quality supervision. “If a supervisor loves rural practice, they give the student the passion for rural health,” Ms Walsh said.

To view the AMPCo. InSight+ article Full scope of practice offered through rural placements in full click here.

Dr Marian Dover, stethoscope around neck, Australian bush in background

Dr Marian Dover is a rural GP in training who ‘feels passionately’ about supporting the health of regional communities. Image source: The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sector Jobs

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

Aug 28 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: VAHS marks 50 years of saving lives

VAHS marks 50 years of saving lives
UQ student dental clinic making a difference
Kidney Health 4 Life effectiveness study
Just 3 in 10 kids had health check in 2021–22
Mental Health for Mob fills service gap
Emergency aeromedical evacuation training
Sector Jobs

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Aug 18 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Local solutions vital for sustainable healthcare

Local solutions vital for sustainable healthcare
Voice necessary to close the gap
Mob must be central to LGBTQIA+ plans and policy
Lowitja Institute on health and climate strategy
Understanding everyday racism
Too Deadly for Diabetes funding boost
Sector Jobs

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.

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.

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.

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.

Aug 16 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour
Health Minister visits AHCSA
CAHS celebrates 15 years
Combining curriculum with culture
Input on National Housing and Homelessness Plan
“It’s important to count the milestones”
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is of VACCHO CEO, Jill Gallagher AO.

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

VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

Gunditjmara woman and VACCHO CEO, Jill Gallagher AO has been conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Melbourne. Ms Gallagher has been VACCHO’s CEO since 2003 and has been influential in raising awareness of health issues and improving access to dedicated services, including the establishment of the Koori Maternity Service and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council.

As well as being an advocate for self-determination outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Ms Gallagher has led consultations with community for the development of the first piece of Treaty Legislation in Australia, now an Act of the Victorian Parliament. She was honoured alongside disability advocate, Keran Howe OAM and marine science and conservation expert, Professor Emma Johnston AM.

University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell congratulated the three recipients of the University’s highest honour.

“Honorary doctorates recognise the outstanding contributions and distinguished community service of people like Ms Gallagher, Ms Howe and Professor Johnston.

“In different ways, they have made major and lasting impressions on society, and it is very fitting that the University recognises them in this way,” Professor Maskell said.

Health Minister visits AHCSA

On Tuesday 15 August, Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler visited the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA). The minister spoke about the influence the Voice to Parliament would have on closing the health gap; He said health is a key policy area where the Voice would deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“…for years and years now, the community, the Parliament, health ministers of both political persuasions, have been confronted time and time again, the appalling statistics of the yawning hap in health outcomes and life expectancy between First Nations Australians and non-Indigenous Australians.

“The truth is, we need a new approach, and the Voice allows us to turn a new page as a government and as a parliament in listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about solutions that will actually shift the dial,” said Minister Butler.

AHCSA and the health minister also discussed the challenge of vaping for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The health minister said it is a challenge right across the country, however, community-controlled health organisations are in discussions with government on how to best address adolescent vaping.

“There’s a program delivered out of this building by AHCSA as well, but it is now having to come to grips with the very new recent challenges of vaping. We’ve been talking about how best to do that,” said Minister Butler.

Read the full doorstop transcript here.

AHCSA staff member. Image source: AHCSA Facebook.

CAHS celebrates 15 years

Coonamble Aboriginal Health Service (CAHS) celebrated 15 years of operation on Friday 11 August. More than 200 community members, as well as special guest speakers including Stan Grant came together at the Coonamble Bowling Club to mark the milestone. In a “strong” and “emotional” speech, Stan Grant paid tribute to the Elders and the founding members of the ACCHO for their dedication to improving health outcomes for Coonamble and the wider community.

CAHS CEO, Phil Naden said a highlight of the celebration was sitting down and yarning with mob and hearing about the legacy of such a wonderful organisation.

“I’m privileged to be the CEO of this wonderful organisation and I’m also privileged to know so many beautiful people,” he said.

Combining curriculum with culture

A new way of learning which combines curriculum with culture is seeing high-school students once at risk of dropping out now excelling. The Wiradjuri-made school program Ngurang-gu Yalbilinya (NgY) is helping schoolboys connect to their identity and increasing school engagement by intertwining curriculum with cultural lessons. In the classroom they are taught the usual school subjects like maths and English, while also learning Wiradjuri language, traditional wood carving, ceremonial song and dance, and painting.

14-year-old student, Steven said before the program he struggled in school, “I was getting in a lot of fights and sometimes I would get a suspension warning or two. I’d be wagging.

“The teachers here really helped me… through the tough times,” he said.

Since the program began more than two years ago, attendance rates have almost doubled from 44% to 94%. Teacher Tim Bennett, said a key to its success is the wrap-around support students can access, which goes beyond the classroom. Teachers work closely with local ACCOs to ensure the students and their families receive the support they need, that includes the Orange Aboriginal Medical Centre providing regular health checks and encouraging healthy eating.

“It’s not just an academic need, if the child or the family suffered trauma that could also affect the student engaging in mainstream classes. So, we have to address that as well,” said Mr Bennett.

Read the full NITV article here.

Students of the Ngurang-gu Yalbilinya education program. Image source: NITV.

Input on National Housing and Homelessness Plan

The Federal Government has begun consultations for the new National Housing and Homelessness Plan. Community organisations are among those Housing and Homelessness Minister, Julie Collins wants to hear from for input on the national plan’s issue paper. Croakey Health Media said given the critical connection between housing and health, health organisations should be encouraged to submit their feedback.

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association recently said, “having access to safe and affordable housing is a key social determinant of health, with many Australians currently facing poorer health outcomes as a consequence of the standard of their living conditions.”

Homelessness Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies are calling for a separate and self-determined First Nations National Housing and Homelessness Plan, to address the unique issues relating to the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in homelessness.

Public consultations on the plan will be conducted via face-to-face community events in each State and Territory from Monday 28 August and submissions close Friday 22 September.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article Federal Government seeks input on long-awaited National Housing and Homelessness Plan here.

“It’s important to count the milestones”

Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Richard Weston says we are seeing improvements in areas of the health of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Broken Hill region. In the interview with 2WEB – Outback Radio Mr Weston said while the region is a long way behind the rest of the state and the country and there’s “a lot more work to be done,” it’s important to count the milestones.

Mr Weston said they have seen some improvements in early childhood health and development, “which is really important for those future generations.”

“We [also] have very good programs for supporting people with chronic diseases… and also for preventing and intervening early in chronic diseases,” Mr Weston said.

Listen to the full radio interview here.

Image source: Intereach.

Sector Jobs

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

Aug 4 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Self-determination is key to positive health outcomes

Self-determination is key to positive health outcomes
Purpose built AMS planned for Brewarrina
CTG Report – no joy in “I told you so”
National Cervical Screening Program update
FASD Communications and Engagement Grants
Sector Jobs
Key Dates – National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – 4 August 2023; World Breastfeeding Week – 1–7 August 2023

The image in the feature tile is from an article To achieve racial justice, we must self-determine meaningfully by Jarrod Hughes published by IndigenousX on 6 August 2020.

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

Self-determination is key to positive health outcomes

Next Wednesday, 9 August, is the United Nations’s (UN) International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, a day to raise awareness and highlight the rights of the 476 million Indigenous people across 90 countries. In May this year the World Health Assembly passed an unprecedented resolution aimed at strengthening the health of Indigenous people. The resolution contains several ambitious obligations for member states to improve Indigenous health, including the development of national plans to improve access to health care for Indigenous peoples; the integration, where possible, of traditional and complementary medicine in health systems, particularly in primary care and mental health; and the training and recruiting of Indigenous people as health workers. It hopes to reduce some of the stark inequalities faced by many Indigenous peoples as a result of colonisation, displacement, and repression.

The term “Indigenous peoples” is in many ways a crude one, isolating and homogenising 5000 diverse cultures with vastly different experiences, needs, hopes, challenges, opportunities, and ways of life. But there are areas of common cause and solidarity, especially with regards to health. Life expectancy is more than 5 years lower in Indigenous than in non-Indigenous populations in Australia, Cameroon, Canada (First Nations and Inuit), Greenland, Kenya, NZ, and Panama. Maternal mortality, infant mortality, and mental health are often of particular concern. A recent Health Policy on environmental equity argues that Indigenous communities face a disproportionate burden of illness and mortality due to climate change, yet their inclusion and involvement in environmental health policy has been tokenistic at best.

Respect, support, and prioritisation of different Indigenous leadership, knowledges, cultural expression, and continuity and resilience are essential across health, as shown most recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. First Nations peoples in Australia were able to reverse initial disparities in the burden of COVID-19 when empowered by the government to lead their own response early in the pandemic. Indigenous sovereignty, coupled with a community-centred approach focused on cultural relevance and the use of Indigenous health-care providers, appears to have played a crucial role in mitigating the effects of COVID-19.

To view The Lancet article Indigenous health: self-determination is key in full click here.

health workers in PPE in Indigenous community

Health workers in an Indigenous community at the end of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Michael Franchi. Image source: ABC News.

Purpose built AMS planned for Brewarinna

Frustration was apparent in the 2022 annual report of the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS). Mary Purse, the chairperson of the WAMS Board of Directors noted that “for some fifteen years past, the federal government are not responding to WAMS formal applications for the expansion of the Sandon Street property. Efforts to access funding have finally paid off with WAMS recently being awarded funding from the Federal Government’s $120m allocated for major capital works at community‑controlled organisations. Funding will help construct a new purpose built Aboriginal Medical Service building in Brewarrina.

“(We) are very pleased WAMS has secured the funding to assist in the build in a new purpose-built building and looking forward to the Brewarrina community having access to new state of the art primary health care facility,” Ms Purse said after the announcement. BAMS services Brewarrina and the surrounding communities and small towns in the area, providing not only health care but also programs which focus on Aboriginal culture, youth, education, housing and all aspects of life in a remote rural community for Aboriginal people.

BAMS is auspiced by the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited (WAMS) who accepted an invitation from the NSW Department of Health to oversee the running of the service to maintain a well-disciplined ACCHO. Chief Operations Manager, Katrina Ward is excited to oversee the new project for enhancing medical services for the Brewarrina community and offered thanks the WAMS Board of Directors and CEO for their continued support and assistance in maintaining medical services for the local and surrounding communities. WAMS CEO, Mrs Christine Corby AM, who also recognises the overdue need for a new medical facility in Brewarrina, was very happy with the funding outcome.

To view the Western Plains App article Long term goal achieved with purpose built AMS planned for Brewarrina in full click here.

external view of Brewarrina Aboriginal Health Service Ltd

Brewarrina Aboriginal Health Service Ltd. Image source: Gather website.

CTG Report – no joy in ‘I told you so’

Last week the Productivity Commission released its draft Review of the National Closing the Gap Agreement (the Agreement). The Agreement was launched in July 2020, promising a new era of reform and a ‘genuine’ commitment of governments to work in partnership with First Nations peak organisations. Rather than any bland words of tepid excuse or obfuscating, the Commission launched right into the heart of why, 18 years after the first call to Close the Gap in health outcomes between First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples, the Government’s ‘efforts’ to fix things continues to languish in failure: “Progress in implementing the Agreement’s Priority Reforms has, for the most part, been weak and reflects a business-as-usual approach to implementing policies and programs that affect the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

Weak. Business-as-usual. Michelle Gratton called it ‘depressingly predictable’. This has been the never ending story for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities when it comes to social policies that impact them. The Commission went on to say that the “Current implementation raises questions about whether governments have fully grasped the scale of change required to their systems, operations and ways of working to deliver the unprecedented shift they have committed to” and that “It is too easy to find examples of government decisions that contradict commitments in the Agreement, that do not reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s priorities and perspectives and that exacerbate, rather than remedy, disadvantage and discrimination. This is particularly obvious in youth justice systems.”

Pat Turner, NACCHO CEO and convenor of the Coalition of Peaks that negotiated the 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap has said ‘…that governments need to do much more to implement their commitments to the Priority Reforms, that progress has been patchy and not as intended. I hope this review is a wakeup call to governments to get on with the job they have all agreed to do.’ This was also the reflection of Productivity Commissioner, and Djugun-Yawuru man Romlie Mokak who said that good intentions are not translating to meaningful action on the ground and in communities.

To view the Pearls and Irritations blog post No joy in ‘I told you so’: the Productivity Commission’s 2023 Closing the Gap Report by Paul Wright published earlier today, in full click here.

Image source: Pearls and Irritations.

National Cervical Screening Program update

The National Cervical Screening Program education course for healthcare providers has now been updated to reflect the expansion of self-collection eligibility on 1 July 2022. The course is a self-directed Continuing Professional Development (CPD) online training course consisting of six modules, intended to enhance, reinforce and increase knowledge about the Cervical Screening Test and clinical pathways.

The duration of each module is approximately one hour, with one self-directed CPD point able to be allocated per hour spent completing the modules. Information on self-collection as a screening option can be found throughout all modules, but of particular interest may be Module 4 Screening in Practice which describes the steps involved in supporting a patient to self-collect a vaginal Cervical Screening Test sample.

We encourage you to distribute this information to your networks to ensure all healthcare providers who administer cervical screening are able to offer and promote self-collection as a safe and accessible Cervical Screening Test option.

You can find more information about the National Cervical Screening Program education course here.

The below video is from the NSW Government Cancer Institute NSW webpage Cervical screening for Aboriginal women available here.

FASD Communications and Engagement grants

NACCHO is excited to announce Round 2 of the FASD Communications and Engagement Grant is now open to support NACCHO members to develop and deliver highly-localised, place-based communications materials and engagement activities to enhance and extend the Strong Born communications campaign. Strong Born has been designed to raise awareness of FASD and the harms of drinking alcohol while pregnant and breastfeeding, among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rural and remote communities.

Round 2 of the FASD Grant is open to all NACCHO members who did not receive funding in Round 1. Eligible ACCHOs are also able to deliver a place-based response in collaboration with other community-controlled organisations and communities.

Eligible ACCHOs can apply for between $5,000 – $60,000 (GST exclusive) of FASD Grant funding which can be used for activities such as:

Creation of locally relevant communications materials and resources raising awareness of FASD and the harms of drinking alcohol while pregnant and breastfeeding
Hosting community events and yarning circles
Running information sessions for staff members
Production of additional copies of the ‘Strong Born’ campaign materials
Translation or adaptation of ‘Strong Born’ campaign materials and/or key messages into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages

You can register for the grant information session on Wednesday 9 August at 2.00pm AEDT here.

You can find more information about the FASD Grant and how to apply on the NACCHO website here.

Applications for Round 2 will close 11.00pm AEDT 11 August 2023.

You can also contact the NACCHO FASD Grants team by email using this link.

Sector Jobs

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

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is celebrated across the country each year on 4 August. It is a time for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities to celebrate the strength and culture of their children. Children’s Day was first held in 1988. Part of the reason it was started was because there were many of our children in orphanages and institutions who did not know their birthday, so Children’s Day was set aside each year to celebrate the birthday of these children.

The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) is the National Voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children. As the national peak body, they have a responsibility to make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s voices as powerful as possible, now and into the future. A First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution will amplify the work being done to ensure our children can flourish, with power over their destinies.

This year’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day theme ‘Little Voices, Loud Futures’ fires that ambition. SNAICC is raising awareness for the bright futures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and the potential for their voices to pave a new path for our nation. As always, SNAICC supports the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in calling for a future where they are proud and empowered by their culture to speak their truth and be listened to by all Australians.

You can find more information about National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day on the SNAICC website here.

World Breastfeeding Week – 1–7 August 2023

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

Below is a video Just Let Them Them Feed requested by the Western Arrarnta people of Ntaria (Hermannsburg, NT). The Aboriginal women wanted to reinforce the benefits of breastfeeding and educate their community and other Aboriginal people about the importance of breastfeeding. Sometimes this essential health information gets missed in the messages health staff communicate out bush because most Aboriginal women are seen as “natural breast feeders,” but this isn’t always the case.

The project came about through a direct connection with a core group of breastfeeding women who live and work in Ntaria. They had been talking about the decline in breastfeeding among young women in their community, and they wanted to do something about it. Young men and women were involved from the start of the project to attract younger community members to watch and listen to what the older, wiser men and women had to say about the benefits of breastfeeding. The younger ones rapped about the importance of breastfeeding through the use of song and dance, while the elders spoke with wisdom and truth about the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby and the next generation.

Voices from the community, as well as from the staff at the local health centre, were recorded so that people could hear about how breastfeeding is important for the future of the culture and community. Published research about drops in breastfeeding rates in Central Australian remote communities has not been presented to date, but even a small shift down in these rates is something local women and Elders want to address now. Community members report that some young mums bottle feed because they want to smoke, drink, or go out, but they don’t want their actions to affect the baby, or they have tried breastfeeding and just cannot breastfeed for whatever reason. Another youthful perception is that if other people can formula feed, so can they; but they don’t really know the consequences to the health of their baby when making this decision. We know that during the first six months of a baby’s life, we need to Let Them Feed.

Jul 24 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Aboriginal-run health services kicking goals

Aboriginal-run health services kicking goals
Culturally-relevant wellbeing resources
Australia’s first wellbeing budget revealed
SEWB Gathering theme ‘Culture First’
Calls for more midwives, shortfall 1,300
Sector Jobs
Key Date – International Self-Care Day – 24 July 2023

The image in the feature tile is of Dr Josh Annand talking to Chronic Care Coordinator Di Spotswood at the Aboriginal Health Service (AHS) reception desk. Dr Anand says the AHS is more collaborative than private practice. The image appeared in the ABC News article Aboriginal-run doctors clinics are succeeding where many other GP services are failing published yesterday, 24 July 2023. Photo: Erin Cooper-Douglas, ABC News.

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

Aboriginal-run health services kicking goals

“How’s the bowls going, Smokey?” As he’s offered a cuppa, Michael “Smokey” Beeton tells his greeter he “just got beat” on the green on the weekend. You might think he’s at a community house or a friendly barbecue, but you’d be wrong — he’s at the doctors clinic. He’s been walking through these doors for 20 years, and while the staff have changed over that time, they all know Smokey. The 73-year-old has been treated for a range of issues from diabetes, to chronic back pain and even breast cancer.

He thinks many of these things would have gone untreated if it weren’t for the service. “I lived about half an hour out of town and I very rarely went to the doctor — very rarely,” he says. “But they’d come out to do my sugar checks and see if I needed anything, so it became a bit of a habit.” Smokey says it’s because he got to know everyone so well that he keeps coming back. “I used to go to the doctor and you’d be in there for 10 or 15 minutes, they’d give you a prescription, and you’d never hear from them again,” he says. “Here, it’s very special. You’re treated like family.”

This is the Aboriginal Health Service in Launceston, and while the service is norm for patients like Smokey, it’s worlds away from what many Australians experience when going to see a doctor. According to a recent review Challenges for Medicare and universal health care in Australia since 2000, available here, First Nations-run services are achieving better health outcomes for their patients than private general practice. Amid ever-present headlines about the GP crisis, much can be learnt from Aboriginal health services.

To view the ABC News story Aboriginal-run doctors clinics are succeeding where many other GP services are failing in full click here.

Launceston ACCHO patient Michael "Smokey" Beeton

Michael “Smokey” Beeton says visiting the health service feels like visiting his family. Photo: Erin Cooper-Douglas, ABC News.

Culturally-relevant wellbeing resources

For time poor health practitioners, social and emotional wellbeing can often take a back seat to treating physical ailments. But a more holistic approach can produce much better outcomes for Indigenous patients. In the most recent SBS BLA.C.K. Medicine podcast episode Dr Mikayla Couch chats with Uncle Dave and Angela from Wellmob, about the social and emotional wellbeing model of health care, and their mission to make the resources available to all.

The social and emotional wellbeing model emphasises the importance of a holistic approach to healthcare, especially for Indigenous patients. Along with looking after physical and mental health, it promotes measures that address social and emotional needs as well. Uncle Dave said “The social emotional wellbeing model gives a more holistic perspective, as opposed to maybe a non-Indigenous model where those connections to cultures, spirituality, community and kin may not make up such a strong part of someone’s wellbeing.”

But locating culturally-relevant and accessible resources that use this model can be hard. Angela Sheridan said “We found that all these deadly resources were tucked away in the deep dark corners of the internet… So the idea was conceived to host them all in one place and have a one-stop shop of Indigenous-specific online resources.” The Wellmob website, available here, was created to direct time-poor health practitioners to resources that can improve the wellbeing of Indigenous people and help them stay connected to culture; whether it’s a mindfulness app, a video on healing from trauma, or a collection of healthy recipes.

You can listen to the Making mob well: A new way to find culturally-relevant wellbeing resources SBS NITV podcast episode in full here.

banner SBS BLA.C.K. Medicine, text ' Making mob well: A new way to find culturally-relevant wellbeing resources - 16:14 minutes

Image source: SBS NITV Radio website.

Australia’s first wellbeing budget revealed

Australians live longer, are happier in their jobs and trust each other more than they did two decades ago. But more people are also battling chronic diseases, struggling to make ends meet and having bad experiences online. These are some of the findings of the first national wellbeing framework, released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers last Friday 21 July 2023.

So why is the government measuring wellbeing, what does it have to do with the economy, and will this actually mean anything for you? Chalmers first floated the idea of a “wellbeing budget” in 2020 when the Coalition was in power. Wellbeing is a combination of physical, social, economic and emotional factors, and overall quality of life.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), focusing on wellbeing supports the tracking of the equitable distribution of resources, overall thriving and sustainability. Measuring What Matters, Australia’s first national wellbeing framework, uses 50 indicators to track how healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous Australia is. The framework also includes an overall life satisfaction indicator.

To view the SBS News article Australia’s first wellbeing budget has been revealed. What does it mean for you? in full click here.

3 ATSI women in park with arms around each other, smiling

Photo: Bobbi Lockyer / Refinery29 Australia – Getty. Image source: SBS News.

SEWB Gathering’s theme ‘Culture First’

The fourth Social Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Gathering is around the corner. It is being held from Monday 31 July to Wednesday 2 August in Darwin. Over three days delegates from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies, community organisations, leaders, experts across Australia will come together to discuss social and emotional wellbeing topics.

The theme for this year’s SEWB Gathering is ‘Culture First’ with a focus on implementing this idea in the workforce, systems, and services.

Like previous SEWB Gatherings there is likely to be many enriching discussions and transformative insights.

Calls for more midwives, shortfall of1,300

Gabby Petersen is a second-year midwifery student and First Nations woman with Aboriginal, Torres Strait and Samoan heritage. “I’m the eldest of three girls, I have two younger sisters and I think my mum has a little bit of birth trauma, and that inspires me to be that midwife to make sure people have safe experiences,” she said. Ms Petersen said there needed to be changes in the industry to accommodate the different needs of First Nations people. “They’re at this really important, really special moment in their lives and they’re shoved into a hospital room that doesn’t look like home, with white lights and unknown linen and it can be so disorientating,” she said.

Ms Petersen said having more First Nations midwives in the industry could see cultural safety improved. “Having that First Nations background, you have a perspective on cultural safety that some people just don’t and that’s not their fault, you just have that extra consideration for what would make them feel safe because that’s what would make you feel safe,” she said.

There are currently 305 registered First Nations midwives in Australia — making up only 1.3 per cent of the workforce. “So, to reach population parity, we’d need 650 midwives. But if you factor in our higher fertility rate, plus the disparity we see in health outcomes, we’ve estimated that we’d need around 1,300 more,” PhD student and First Nations registered midwife Karel Williams said.

To view the ABC News article Calls for more Indigenous midwives as experts estimate national shortfall to be 1,300 in full click here.

First Nations student Gabby Petersen is in her second year of midwifery studies in Canberra. Photo: Donal Sheil, ABC News.

Sector Jobs

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

Key Date International Self-Care Day – 24 July 2023

24 June marks the start of Self-Care Month, which ends with Self-Care Day on 24 July. This symbolic day was chosen because self-care can be practiced “24 hours a day/7 days a week”. During the month, people around the world will be celebrating self-care practices and interventions and the difference they can make to everyone’s lives.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines self-care as individuals, families and communities’ promoting and maintaining their own health, preventing disease, and coping with illness and disability, with or without the support of a health worker. Self-care interventions are the evidence-based tools that support self-care. They include medicines, counselling, diagnostic kits, and digital technologies. Now is an exciting time with more and more tools being developed. Self-care is about empowering people to be active agents in their own healthcare. Doing so not only puts people at the centre of their own healthcare, but also relieves pressures on health systems.

Self-care interventions give people choice and the option to access healthcare wherever and whenever they want to. Self-care interventions do not replace health systems, they enhance them. They are part of a holistic approach to healthcare which improves Primary Health Care and contributes to Universal Health Coverage. You can find more information about Self-care month on the WHO website here.

You can access a Self-care Toolkit – A healthy happy mob, means a well done job produced by the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW (AH&MRC) here; an Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet webpage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Professions – Taking care of yourself here; and a VACCHO produced video Self-care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers below.

Jul 21 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: HIV prevention strategies must encompass all

HIV prevention strategies must encompass all
Wirraka Maya to celebrate 30 years
First to gain PhD and stand for federal parliament
Have your say: pancreatic cancer care
LGBTIQ+ mob face extra hurdles
Pregnancy and postnatal care survey
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is an HIV micrograph from the article HIV diagnoses in Australia remained low in 2022: new data published yesterday (20 July 2023) on the UNSW Sydney Newsroom webpage.

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

HIV prevention strategies must encompass all

Despite disruptions to testing and risk behaviour during COVID-19, the latest data from University of NSW (UNSW) Sydney’s Kirby Institute shows Australia is tracking well towards the elimination of HIV transmission. HIV diagnoses in Australia have halved over the last decade, and have remained stable over the past year, according to new data by the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.

Dr Skye McGregor, head of the Surveillance Innovation Research Group at the Kirby Institute said, “We can see the impact of prevention strategies like increasing HIV testing, treatment as prevention, and pre-exposure prophylaxis particularly among gay and bisexual men, for whom new diagnoses have been dropping significantly since 2014. These data suggest that to eliminate HIV, there needs to be increasing focus on prevention strategies that encompass all populations.”

HIV diagnoses among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have increased over the past year, with 25 diagnoses in 2022. Robert Monaghan, Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health research at the Kirby Institute says although numbers are low compared to the general population, any increase among this population is concerning. “We know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face additional barriers to accessing prevention and care. People in rural and remote communities were also more likely to have their regular health activities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-designed campaigns rolled out in partnership with local community organisations are needed, focused on testing, treatment, and PrEP,” he says.

To view the Kirby Institute | UNSW Media article HIV diagnoses in Australia remained low in 2022: new data in full click here.

Wirraka Maya to celebrate 30 years

Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (WMHSAC) is an ACCHO designed to ensure our clients’ journey through the health system meets their medical, health, social and cultural needs. WMHSAC originated from the efforts of Aboriginal people to establish a health service that addressed the unmet needs of Aboriginal people in the Port Hedland, South Hedland areas and surrounding communities.

WMHSAC has over 7,000 Aboriginal people registered and are actively engaged and regularly receiving primary care, wellbeing and prevention services and programs. WMHSAC has an experienced team of health professionals, including AHWs and AHPs, GPs and nurses as well as visiting Specialists and Allied Health Practitioners. WMHSAC’s mission is to provide evidence-based and best practice primary health care services, social and emotional wellbeing services, as well as a recognised educational and training service.

This year WMHSAC is celebrating 30 years. You can view the invitation to WMHSAC’s 30 Year Celebrations Gala Dinner being held on Friday 11 August 2023 here and a flyer for a ‘Celebrating 30 years of Wirraka Maya’ community event from 3.30–6.30pm on Thursday 10 August 2023 to be held at the South Hedland Town Square, here.

For further information, you can access the Wirraka Maya Health Service website here.

First to gain PhD and stand for federal parliament

If anyone could be held up as an inspiration for The Voice for Australia’s Indigenous people, it would be Gordon Briscoe, born in the most inauspicious circumstances in Alice Springs in 1938.

His father, a white man, Ron Price, who was a telegraph station manager, died shortly after his birth. When his mother went to work at a station, the boy was mostly left in the care of two teenage girls at the Old Telegraph Station. Briscoe was picked up in a cattle truck and evacuated to the south with other Aboriginal people during World War II. In his words, it was the “evacuation of the half-castes from the half-caste institutions in and around the NT”.

For a time, he was placed in a SA internment camp for “aliens”. He failed to make progress at school and left barely able to read and write, and was obliged to make his way in a racially bigoted society. From those beginnings, he moved on to become a leading light for his people, helping them to organise, establish services to cater for basic needs, and he led the fight for recognition.

Briscoe eventually resumed his education, went to university and became the first Indigenous Australian to become a PhD, stood as a candidate for federal parliament and otherwise devoted himself to the advancement of his people.

To read Malcolm Brown’s obituary of Gordon Briscoe published yesterday in WAtoday click here.

Dr Gordon Briscoe at the launch of his book Counting, Health and Identity. Photo: Fairfax. Image source: WAtoday.

Have your say: pancreatic cancer care

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to develop and die from pancreatic and other upper gastro-intestinal (GI) cancers than other Australians. It’s time to change that. Cancer Australia has developed the National Pancreatic Cancer Roadmap and identified five priority areas for implementation. Priority 5 is to develop a culturally responsive and appropriate model of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The University of Queensland is working with Cancer Australia to identify key implementation factors and important barriers and enablers to the uptake of suitable models of care through consultations with key stakeholders. UQ want to hear from you if you or your organisation supports, advocates, has cared for or is caring for:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer patients
Cancer patients in regional and remote areas
People affected by pancreatic and/or other GI and complex cancers

You can have your say before Wednesday 9 August 2023 by clicking here.

For further information you can view the UQ flyer here. A related video from the Australian Government Cancer Australia Culturally safe communication skills – Staging and treatment webpage, available here, provides an overview of the key considerations when communicating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during staging and treatment.

LGBTIQ+ mob face extra hurdles

Among First Nations people who identify as LGBTIQA+ are faced with extra barriers to tertiary education and corporate opportunities, new data has shown. Research from The Pinnacle Foundation, which provides scholarships and mentoring programs for young LGBTQIA+ people, has laid bare the complex experiences of those living at the intersection of being of First Nations heritage and part of the LGBTIQA+ community.

More than 40% of those surveyed believed First Nations LGBTQIA+ people faced extra hurdles accessing tertiary education, while 46% said it was harder for them to launch post-graduate careers. More than a quarter of respondents who were employed had left their jobs due to discrimination or feeling isolated. The new research supports findings in a landmark 2021 survey of healthcare professionals and 63 Indigenous LGBTIQ+ members in WA by Edith Cowan University’s Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research.

Its report called for effective responses to mental health issues First Nations LGBTIQ+ communities across Australia faced, after 73% of respondents said they were discriminated against in the 12 months prior. While a third of participants felt “invisible” within their First Nations communities due to their sexual or gender identity, elders engaged in the research were very supportive of promoting their acceptance. Pinnacle Foundation alumni and proud Cammeraigal man Benjamin McGrory, an arts and law student at the University of Sydney, said Elders were crucial to building confidence in LGBTQIA+ people and fostering their acceptance.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Indigenous LGBTIQ+ community face extra hurdles to career success in full click here.

Pinnacle Foundation alumni and proud Cammeraigal man Benjamin McGrory. Photo: University of Sydney. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Pregnancy and postnatal care survey

From July 2023, Monash University will supporting the development and updating of Living Evidence for Australian Pregnancy and Postnatal Care (LEAPP) Guidelines, available here, to start updating the current guidance on pregnancy care and developing new guidance on postnatal care.

They have opened a prioritisation survey, which aims to capture the opinions, ideas and diverse experiences of Australian healthcare practitioners and others who provide pregnancy and/or postnatal care or guidance. The prioritisation survey, available here, asks respondents to think about care during and after pregnancy – but not during labour and delivery. Key focus areas include:

topics that pose the largest clinical uncertainty;
topics that are likely to have the greatest impact on patient outcomes; and
topics where evidence is emerging or the context is changing, requiring new or different guidance.

They are especially interested in areas that have the highest uncertainty and cause the most angst for clinicians. Your collective responses will help them shape the prioritisation process over the months and years ahead. The survey takes 5-10 minutes to complete and closes on Friday 4 August 2023. To help the team gather as many views as possible, you are being asked to complete the survey and also share it with your members/networks.

Aboriginal Family Birthing Program participant having blood pressure taken

Aboriginal Family Birthing Program participant. Image source: Women’s and Children’s Hospital website.

Sector Jobs

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

Jul 19 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Structural reform needed to CTG

Structural reform needed to CTG
WAMS launches Freedom Rides Memorial Park and website
Financial barriers to sight-saving treatment
ACCHO to deliver healthcare in justice centre
New research to look at dietary practices
Mob contribute to National Health and Climate Strategy
Sector Jobs

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

Jul 17 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Congress assumes Kaltukatjara health centre operations

Congress assumes Kaltukatjara health centre operations
Governments still failing public on COVID control
AH&MRC appoints new CEO
$42m to ease QLD’s regional maternity crisis
Health worker builds on work of past generations
Mobile childcare helps prevent poor health
Sector Jobs

The image in the feature tile is from an article Central Australian Aboriginal Congress takes over Kaltukatjara Health Centre published in The Chronicle yesterday, Sunday 16 July 2023.

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

Congress assumes Kaltukatjara health centre operations

Yesterday the NT Chief Minister and Minister for Health Natasha Fyles and Member of Gwoja, Chansey Paech announced Kaltukatjara Health Centre would transition to Aboriginal community control. In a media release they said “the Territory Labor Government knows that health care provided in community is the best type of health care. Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress) has this month assumed operations of the health care centre in Kaltukatjara (Docker River).

Congress already provides care at nearby Mutitjulu, an Aboriginal community adjacent to Uluru, as well as other communities in the region. Earlier this year, Congress assumed operations for the health centres in Imanpa and Yulara. One of the most experienced services in the country in Aboriginal health, Congress is the largest ACCHO in the NT, a national leader in primary health care and a strong advocate for the health of Aboriginal people. The transfer of service delivery of the Kaltukatjara Health Centre joins other remote services provided by Congress in Central Australia including Amoonguna, Ntaria (and Wallace Rockhole), Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa), Utju (Areyonga), Mutitjulu, Imanpa and Yulara. Evidence shows that increasing community involvement in the planning and delivery of local health services brings additional health benefits to local residents.

Ms Fyles said “Local Decision Making is the Territory Labor Government’s commitment to provide opportunities to transfer government service delivery to Aboriginal people. The movement towards increased Aboriginal control of health services in the NT is motivated by two main factors — a commitment to Indigenous rights and international evidence showing better health outcomes when there is community participation in health care delivery. Congress and NT Health have worked in partnership to transition operations to Aboriginal community control in Kaltukatjara in line with community needs and local decision making. NT Health will continue to provide support in the community, including visiting specialist services such as paediatrics and BreastScreen NT.”

You can read the media release Kaltukatjara Health Centre transitions to Aboriginal community control in full click here.

Photo: Blake Sharp-Wiggins. Image source: ABC News.

Governments still failing public on COVID control

Health sector leaders are calling for governments to take more action to reduce the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for people who are at greater risk of severe outcomes from the virus. Many people are still dying and being hospitalised from COVID in Australia, and many more are being impacted by long COVID. Inequities in the burden of COVID are clearly evident, with some groups disproportionately at risk of dying from the illness.

A recurring theme is the disproportionate impact upon at-risk groups, including the aged, people with disabilities and medical vulnerabilities. This applies not only to their increased risks from infection but also to the wider impacts upon their lives. People with disability or who are immunocompromised “have been left behind and their needs have been rendered fairly invisible in recent times, including their right to access safe spaces where they can be part of society”, Professor Deborah Lupton, from the Centre for Social Research and Health at University of NSW said.

Similar concerns have also raised by Dr Rebecca Ryan and Dr Louisa Walsh, Research Fellows at the Centre for Health Communication and Participation at La Trobe University. “…one group that has been particularly affected [by COVID-19] but remains largely invisible in public health communications are people who are medically vulnerable (including the chronically ill, immunocompromised and elderly).”

To read the Croakey Health Media article How governments are (still) failing the public on COVID control in full click here.

COVID-19 virus cell with text 'COVID-19'

Photo: Marin Sanchez, via unsplash. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

AH&MRC appoints new CEO

Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC), NSW’s peak First Nations health body representing the state’s 49 ACCHOs that provide comprehensive, holistic, and culturally safe primary health care to First Nations communities across NSW has appointed a new CEO, Associate Professor Boe Rambaldini. Boe, a First Nations Elder of the Bundjalung Nation on the north coast of NSW, has significant experience in the Indigenous health sector, as the director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Sydney from 2017 to 2022 as well as an Associate Professor at Macquarie University and the co-lead at the Djurali Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research and Education Centre.

His current work at Macquarie University has strengthened his relationships and desire to improve the health of Aboriginal people across NSW, as has his work as chief investigator on several health-related grants, including ARDAC (Antecedents of Renal Disease in Aboriginal Children and young adults study) at Flinders University and improving care pathways in First Nations children.

AH&MRC board chair Professor Phil Naden expressed gratitude at Boe’s appointment after a rigorous recruitment process, “We look forward to working closely with Boe to further improve Aboriginal Health outcomes for our people across NSW. Professor Rambaldini brings to the role a deep understanding of the complex issues surrounding Aboriginal health, with a strong focus on cultural governance, outcomes and research design.”

To view the National Indigenous Times article NSW AH&MRC appoints prolific Indigenous health leader Boe Rambaldini as new CEO in full click here.

new AH&MRC CEO Assoc Prof Boe Rambaldini

New Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW CEO Boe Rambaldini. Photo: Poche Centre for Indigenous Health Facebook. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

$42m to ease regional QLD’s maternity crisis

Queensland’s beleaguered regional maternity centres will receive a $42m injection, with plans to boost the obstetric workforce key to easing the maternity crisis. Up to 20 GPs and rural generalists will be supported in completing advanced diplomas in obstetrics after the state government partnered with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) off the back of the Ministerial Roundtable held last month. It is one of five new initiatives that has the backing of the Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ).

As part of the cash injection Queensland Health will introduce “digital passports” to help clinicians easily move between hospitals for work which will assist in filling workforce gaps The government is also reviewing Queensland Health’s locum policies to maximise incentive options. And there will be more funding to train doctors, nurses and midwives on best practice, woman-centred care and collaboration. First Nations midwifery models of care services will be boosted across Hospital and Health Services and ACCHOs. Queensland’s Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said, “boosting our First Nations midwifery models of care will be invaluable.”

AMAQ president Dr Maria Boulton has praised the Minister for listening to what was needed, “We welcome the support announced today by the Minister and the news our recommendations have been adopted. The Ministerial Maternity Roundtable and five new initiatives are the direct outcomes of our advocacy over the past year to ensure families in these communities have access to fundamental healthcare services and the health workforce is best supported to deliver those services”.”

The above was taken from an article How $42m will help ease maternity crisis by Jackie Sinnerton published in the Cairns Post earlier today.

Maternity & Gynaecology visiting hours sign Gladstone Hospital

Gladstone Hospital. Photo: Tobi Loftus, ABC Capricornia. Image source: ABC News.

Health Worker builds on work of past generations

Murri and Gomeroi woman Amy Rose Creighton says she is “very lucky” to be named after her two grandmothers. “I carry their strength, as well as their names, so I regard myself as honoured to carry both their names and with that comes responsibility and strength,” Mrs Creighton said. Throughout her childhood, Mrs Creighton grew up surrounded by her culture, as her parents were active members of the Aboriginal Progressive Association. “They were strong for our people, always fought for Indigenous rights, and I grew up hearing about our strengths, not the negative,” she said.

Mrs Creighton’s parents were founding members of the Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service, Birralee MACS, the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, while her mum sat on the Tamworth hospital Aboriginal Advisory Board in the ’80s, working with their community to provide spaces and services as needed. Mrs Creighton’s journey would eventually take her to Newcastle, where she completed her Higher School Certificate at an Aboriginal girls’ college, and from there, she applied for her first job at the Awabakal Aboriginal Corporation.

Mrs Creighton has compiled a long list of accolades throughout her career, she has always made sure to emphasise that many Indigenous families and elders have made similar contributions to their communities. What makes her proudest is knowing the next generation is continuing the good fight.”

To view The Northern Daily Leader article Tamworth’s Amy Creighton evokes the strength of her community through her work in full click here.

Health worker and academic Amy Creighton continues to build the work of generations who came before her. Photo: Gareth Gardner. Image source: The Northern Daily Leader.

Mobile childcare helps prevent poor health

A not-for-profit, mobile childcare service is attempting to help solve poor health and dental outcomes in rural multicultural communities. Gnowangerup Family Support Association’s pop-up services, based in the town 350 kms SE of Perth, are sent to neighbouring towns including Borden, Ongerup, Newdegate and Nyabing. The area is a big farming community where many Aboriginal people and migrants call home. The association’s unique mobile, occasional childcare centres not only help parents and carers in isolated areas get back to work, but also try to improve the health of children in the area.

A 2022 impact report showed concerns around dental-related hospitalisations of babies and toddlers in the Great Southern region. That area included Katanning, Gnowangerup, Kojonup, Broomehill, and Tambellup. The report found that young children in the Great Southern were hospitalised at a rate almost double that of the WA state average. Dental problems were found to be “one of the highest causes” of hospitalisation in kids under eight years of age in the area. The report found that health promotion, early identification, and early treatment could help solve the problem.

Gnowangerup Family Support Association director Denise Franco said there were no other childcare centres across the shire and the not-for-profit was helping many families. Ms Franco also said the centre had helped bring free dental van check-ups to its students. This helped make sure any issues in gums and teeth were detected early.

To view the ABC News article Mobile childcare in Gnowangerup shire on the front foot to solve poor health outcomes in full click here.

Denise Franco, Gnowangerup Family Support Association director

Denise Franco says the service helps children and parents. Photo: Briana Fiore, ABC Great Southern. Image source: ABC News.

Sector Jobs

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

NACCHO Aboriginal Health News Alerts

The national authority in Aboriginal primary health care – Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands

Category Members Good news stories

World Diabetes Day 2023

First Nations Director Scholarships Program

Collective action for environment, climate and health at HEAL 2023

Winnunga pivotal to ACT’s health system

A long drive for a healthier smile

Mental Health paper in Arrernte language

Sector Jobs

Share this:

Purple House shows what ‘yes’ could achieve

Why mob have a lower life expectancy

On-line Self-Care Yarning Circles

Limb loss through amputation a ‘hidden’ disability

Never too late for a career change

Rural placements offer full scope of practice

Sector Jobs

Share this:

VAHS marks 50 years of saving lives

UQ student dental clinic making a difference

Kidney Health 4 Life effectiveness study

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

Mental Health for Mob fills service gap

Emergency aeromedical evacuation training

Sector Jobs

Share this:

Local solutions vital for sustainable healthcare

Voice necessary to close the gap

Mob must be central to LGBTQIA+ plans and policy

Lowitja Institute on health and climate strategy

Understanding the toll of everyday racism

Too Deadly for Diabetes funding boost

Sector Jobs

Share this:

VACCHO CEO recognised with university’s highest honour

Health Minister visits AHCSA

CAHS celebrates 15 years

Combining curriculum with culture

Input on National Housing and Homelessness Plan

“It’s important to count the milestones”

Sector Jobs

Share this:

Self-determination is key to positive health outcomes

Purpose built AMS planned for Brewarinna

CTG Report – no joy in ‘I told you so’

National Cervical Screening Program update

FASD Communications and Engagement grants

Sector Jobs

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day

World Breastfeeding Week – 1–7 August 2023

Share this:

Aboriginal-run health services kicking goals

Culturally-relevant wellbeing resources

Australia’s first wellbeing budget revealed

SEWB Gathering’s theme ‘Culture First’

Calls for more midwives, shortfall of1,300

Sector Jobs

Key Date International Self-Care Day – 24 July 2023

Share this:

HIV prevention strategies must encompass all

Wirraka Maya to celebrate 30 years

First to gain PhD and stand for federal parliament

Have your say: pancreatic cancer care

LGBTIQ+ mob face extra hurdles

Pregnancy and postnatal care survey

Sector Jobs

Share this:

Structural reform needed to CTG

WAMS launches Freedom Rides Memorial and website

Financial barriers to sight-saving treatment

ACCHO to deliver healthcare in youth justice centre

New research to look at dietary practices

Mob contribute to health and climate strategy

Sector Jobs

Share this:

Congress assumes Kaltukatjara health centre operations

Governments still failing public on COVID control

AH&MRC appoints new CEO

$42m to ease regional QLD’s maternity crisis

Health Worker builds on work of past generations

Mobile childcare helps prevent poor health

Sector Jobs