Category SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

Nov 30 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Training Course: Helping health professionals put their best ally-foot forward

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.

Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Training Course: Helping health professionals put their best ally-foot forward

Understanding is key to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to improve health outcomes, says Curtis Ruhnau, Community Pharmacist and Partner at Emerton Pharmacy. In pursuit of a greater understanding of his Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, Mr Ruhnau and all staff at Emerton Amcal Pharmacy, on Darug/Gundungurra Country, completed the Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Course developed by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.

Mr Ruhnau stated, “Western medicine’s very good at treating aliments and pretty terrible at seeing the whole person, and that’s where this course really helps us to connect a little bit better.

“You can’t treat the person without being able to at least acknowledge, even if you can’t directly address, things like intergenerational trauma.

“We can’t even start to treat the person unless we can look at all of that.”

The Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Training Course is an interactive online course which includes seven modules covering topics such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, communication skills including how to use clinical yarning within a practice, and conditions of prevalence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. A crucial takeaway for Mr Ruhnau was unpacking and unlearning “some of the lies that we were taught at school as kids.”

“A lot of the lies we were taught back when I went to school about colonisation of the country. In place of that [the course], gives us the facts about what really did happen with colonisation and dispossession, and what we as a country have done to our First Nations people over the past 235 years,” Mr Ruhnau said.

Wanting to put his best ally-foot forward, Mr Ruhnau says “education is never wasted and it’s always a good thing to have more information about what it is that you’re doing, and what it is that the people you’re working for are actually dealing with.”

A part of the course is around ‘closing the gap,’ acknowledging what the gaps are between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians, and what work is needed in closing those gaps. For Mr Ruhnau this meant seeing patients as a whole person, rather than the health problem they are dealing with.

On completion of the course, the Emerton Amcal Pharmacy staff proudly wear their Deadly Pharmacists’ shirts, which have been unanimously well received by patients.

“It gives them a feeling of their experience is respected by us, because we’ve gone out of our way to spend that time to learn more so that we can better help them in our day-to-day job,” Mr Ruhnau said.

To enroll in the Deadly Pharmacists Foundation Training Course go here.

Curtis Ruhnau (left) pictured with Margaret Ruhnau and Matthew Quick.

VACCHO launches Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing

The Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing is dedicated to advancing the rights and social and emotional wellbeing of families in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities throughout Victoria. Traditional, ancient Aboriginal models of parenting and raising children promote holistic health and wellbeing, cultural resilience, and a strong sense of community and identity. The Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing will champion these models that celebrate the strengths, resilience, and cultural richness within Aboriginal families.

The Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing’s vision is that Aboriginal families are emotionally, spiritually, and culturally strong, live in safe and caring environments within their Communities, and are afforded the same life opportunities available to all Australians to achieve their full potential.

Dr Jill Gallagher AO, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) CEO says the centre will advocate for prioritising the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal families as the cornerstone of prosperity for Communities.

“The Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing is an exciting initiative that will focus on keeping families together and keeping families safe and strong. Doing so leads to better education outcomes, employment prospects – and in turn helps break cycles of disadvantage.

“Aboriginal families deserve to be set up for parenting success before birth and have access to culturally strong, safe, and responsive Aboriginal and mainstream health and wellbeing services that build on our strengths and enable healing.

“Aboriginal families also have the right to participate in – and have control over – decisions that affect our children and our lives.”

Learn more here.

 

Antibiotic shortage hampers treatment of infectious kidney disease in Yarrabah

Doctors dealing with outbreak of an infectious kidney disease in Far North Queensland are grappling with a shortage of the preferred medical treatment. Six children in the Aboriginal community of Yarrabah, south of Cairns, have contracted post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, or APSGN, which is a rare disease that can develop after infections with streptococcus bacteria. Dr Jason King, Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service director said the symptoms of APSGN could be “subtle”, but it was a serious infectious condition that could “rapidly spread” and cause long-term health effects.

“Due to a number of factors, it can compound and create a population that has earlier and worse rates of chronic kidney disease,” he said.

The outbreak comes as healthcare practitioners nationwide experience a shortfall in supply of an antibiotic sold under the name Bicillin L-A, which Dr King said was the preferred treatment for APSGN, rheumatic heart disease and syphilis.

“We’re really faced with difficult circumstances where we’re forced to use second-line alternatives which are often more difficult to administer across a time frame,” Dr King said.

In a statement, the Therapeutic Goods Administration said it acknowledged “the importance of reliable antibiotic supply,” but had been advised by manufacturer Pfizer that a worldwide shortage of higher and lower-strength varieties of the medicine would continue until November next year.

A spokesperson said the TGA had issued a notice allowing wholesalers to “to constrain supply to facilitate equitable distribution” and that the issue was being worked on with the relevant federal, state and territory government bodies.

Read the full ABC News article here.

Dr Jason King, Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service director. Image source: ABC News.

Indigenous Disability Research Symposium calls for collaboration

Indigenous scholars from Australia, the US, Canada and Sweeden shared their ideas at the inaugural International Indigenous Disability Research Symposium, held at the University of Sydney. Presentation topics included First Nations Disability and Inclusion in Australia, Overview of Indigenous Sign Language, and Research with Blind or Vision Impaired Aboriginal People. Strength and collaboration were the key words to emerge from presenters and those attending, calling for educators, clinicians, and researchers to come together to influence policy.

Dr Jocelyn Jones, a Noongar woman from Curtin University National Drug Research Institute spoke about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability who have experienced domestic and family violence. Her research focus has been on the inequalities around juvenile justice, disability, and child protection.

Rodney Adams, a deaf Koori man and University of Sydney adjunct lecturer, is working on a new course ‘Disability and Decolonisation.’ His research on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is essential for understanding deaf health, Indigenous health, education, and social wellbeing.

Dr Sheelah Daniels-Maye a Gamilaraay/Gomeroi woman and senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne spoke about the Equity Needs Assessment Tool. The tool is designed to outline difficulties students with disability are experiencing, what they are doing to overcome these barriers, and how much it is adding to their workload.

The big takeaway from the symposium was to hold an international conference for people with different abilities to collaborate on multi-disciplinary initiatives.

One speaker said, “We cannot accept the status quo as it will not get us very far. Strength becomes stronger when it is done together, and we don’t leave anyone behind. Research driven by us, based on the principles of collaboration, should be embedded in what we do.”

Read the full article here.

Professor John Gilroy University of Sydney, Kerrie Colegate Edith Cowan University, Dr Jocelyn Jones Curtin University, Jennifer Cullen CEO Synapse, Professor Beth Armstrong Edith Cowan University and Dr Stuart Crowe Edith Cowan University. Image source: Freedom2live.

Community see plans for new SWAMS Health Hub

Community members gathered on the site of South West Aboriginal Medical Service (SWAMS) new Health Hub this week, to see the plans of the upcoming facility onsite at Jaycee Park. The Health Hub will bring SWAMS Bunbury’s services under one roof.

It comes as SWAMS Health Hub is a step closer to construction after the Federal Government allocated $18.3 million for the development. The funding allocation delivers on a pre-election promise to support the Health Hub being developed at Jaycee Park, Bunbury. The facility will provide a permanent location for SWAMS’ administration, clinical services and programs which support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the South West.

“The Health Hub will have an enormous positive impact on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in the South West,” said Lesley Nelson, SWAMS CEO.

 

Sector Jobs

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

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

Nov 28 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Majority of voters think First Nations people should have a voice, despite referendum outcome

The image in the feature tile is from Shutterstock.

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.

Majority of voters think First Nations people should have a voice, despite referendum outcome

Almost nine-in-10 voters, 87%, think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isander people should have a voice or say over matters that affect them, despite the defeat of the proposed Voice to Parliament. That’s one of the key findings from the largest and most comprehensive survey on the October 2023 referendum on the possible constitutional change, led by The Australian National University (ANU).

The survey, which has been tracking more than 4,200 voters and their views on the proposed Voice to Parliament since January 2023, also found three-quarters, 76%, of ‘no’ voters also think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders deserve a voice when it came to key policies and political decisions.
Professor Nicholas Biddle, study co-author said the survey findings also showed most voters were supportive of some form of constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Our findings show that there is widespread support for a broad definition of constitutional recognition,” Professor Biddle said.

“Almost five times as many Australians, 61.7%, said they would definitely or probably would have voted ‘yes’ if there was a referendum on recognition compared to those who said that they would probably or definitely would have voted ‘no’ – 12.5%.”

In addition, 79.4% of Australians think that the Federal Government should help improve reconciliation, while 80.5% think that Australia should ‘undertake formal truth-telling processes to acknowledge the reality of Australia’s shared history.’

“So, this raises serious questions about why the proposed referendum failed and saw more than 60% of voters, and all states and territories, except the ACT, categorically reject it,” Professor Biddle said.

“Our findings suggest it is not such much the premise of recognition but the model that was being presented to voters at the referendum, among other key factors.”

Learn more about the ANU study here.

Image source: ChameleonsEye/shutterstock.com

Indemnity insurance restored for midwives delivering labour care at home

The Albanese Government has restored the ability of midwives to deliver care to women who labour in their home before a planned birth in hospital, after the former government left a gap in professional indemnity insurance for those services. After extensive engagement from the Albanese Government, the medical indemnity insurer MIGA will now amend its policies to cover these services for endorsed midwives with individual insurance. The Government will support these changes by providing an indemnity to MIGA so that the Government will pay 100% of any eligible and approved claims made in respect of these intrapartum, outside of hospital services for a midwife with an individual policy with MIGA.

Mark Butler, Health and Aged Care Minister said that the government “recognises that midwifery continuity of care is incredibly important and has the best outcomes for women and babies and we will continue to work to make sure that it is accessible and supported.”

Endorsed midwives with existing individual policies which cover intrapartum care in hospital with MIGA will not need to do anything and this new out of hospital cover will be automatically added to their policy. Endorsed midwives who do not have an individual policy with MIGA will need to apply to MIGA for a policy, via the MIGA website. The Albanese Government was made aware of the gap in insurance coverage left by the former government on 17 October this year. Cover will be available retrospectively for this service dated from 17 October 2023, irrespective of whether the endorsed midwife already holds a policy with MIGA or now applies for one.

Read more here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

New homes to reduce overcrowding in remote NT

The remote NT community of Wadeye face severe overcrowding. Trying to change that, young men are picking up the tools to help build new homes. Among those employed on the $18.5 million government remote housing contract is Wesley Miler, who recently completed a certificate in carpentry, which he undertook locally. The 16 new homes are being built by the Thamarrurr Development Corporation for a new sub-division in the community. They’re additional to 125 homes that were in varying states of damage following rioting in the community in 2022, which were all repaired by May this year to a tune of $10.5 million.

It is not uncommon in the remote NT for more than 15 people to be forced to live together in a three-bedroom home with one toilet, which evidence shows can be badly detrimental to health. Among those counting themselves lucky to have secured one of the new homes in Wadeye is John Kingston Luckan, Lirrga man and Aboriginal interpreter.

“I don’t know for how many years I was struggling to get a new house,” Mr Luckan said.

“I had to stay with my brother-in-law and my sister and the family, a bit overcrowded.”

Now, Mr Luckan is pleased to see young residents “working together” on the new builds.

“All these young fellas that I see working out here, they good, they’re trying to get some skills, learn something different for themselves that can change their lives,” Mr Luckan said.

Read the full ABC News article here.

Image source: ABC News: Matt Garrick.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in environmental management

Over three days from 14 November, the third annual conference for the Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) Network, “Collective Action for Health, Environment and Climate”, analysed and discussed the leading health, climate and environmental challenges facing Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and the world. Around the world, Indigenous peoples have been using fire for generations, in cultural and land management practices. Wildfires have a disproportionate and destructive impact on Indigenous communities. This is as true in Australia as it is internationally. A pronounced theme during the #HEAL2023 conference was the need to integrate and capitalise on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in co-design for research and implementation, in building resilience and in environmental management mechanisms.

The Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research at Charles Darwin has been working with Indigenous land managers, conservation, research and government organisations in northern Australia to find more effective ways to manage wildfires. This collaboration has led to a new approach to reducing bushfire risk, blending modern scientific knowledge with traditional Indigenous land management practices. The Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne has also outlined how combining traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fire management techniques with new technologies can improve environmental outcomes and reduce bushfire risk.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Calls for Safe Night Space to stay open until permanent location is found

Peak homelessness bodies, family violence specialists and sexual assault services joined forces in a new and urgent call for the City of Perth to delay the closure of its Safe Night Space service – at least until after the Christmas season. Family violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women and most women turning to Safe Night Space for help are not only without a safe place to spend the night but have also experienced violence and abuse – either on the streets, or in the home from which they’ve escaped. The service is due to close this week – on 30 November – and the City of Perth has so far resisted calls to allow Safe Night Space the use of its East Perth location for another two years. The service has secured operating funding from the WA government but, despite a relentless search, has not been able to secure an alternate location.

Kath Snell, Shelter WA chief executive said the latest ‘By-Name’ list data for October this year show there are a record number of women who are experiencing chronic homelessness (either sleeping rough or temporarily sheltered).

“The City of Perth has done an amazing job for over two years by providing the space and support for the Safe Night Space pilot. Every indicator and evaluation shows it was an overwhelming success – we’re saying this is the time to build on that success and keep the doors open until a more permanent location is found,” she said.

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Image source: Mamamia.

New mental health service for Whittlesea

A new service that supports older Victorians to access mental health and wellbeing treatment is available in Whittlesea, with a hub expected to be established in 2024. Mental health organisation Neami National, in partnership with Victorian Aboriginal Health services, Drummond Street Services, and Uniting Vic Tas, has a team of peer support workers and clinicians working together to operate Whittlesea Mental Health and Wellbeing Local. While there are plans to open a physical space next year, the service currently offers outreach support and Telehealth, with staff able to meet people at their homes, in the community or remotely, for between six to 12 months.

Alana Istanto, lived experience service manager said the operating hours – which extend to after 5pm on weekdays, including Saturdays and public holidays – were crucial.

“Someone might just need to have a chat, there might be something going on for them and they speak to one of our peer workers, have a cuppa, and then we may not see them again – and that’s fine,” she said.

“Someone may come in and need some more robust support, so we can then look at maybe allocating more of an ongoing workflow.”

Ms Istanto said she hoped to bridge some of the barriers between travel and accessing mental health support in Whittlesea through the service. The service collaborates with Drummond Street Services and Victorian Aboriginal Health Services, who allocate lived experience workers and family practitioners to support people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, LGBTQIA+SB and/or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Learn more here.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Nov 24 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Webinar: The emerging shortage of long-acting benzathine benzylpenicillin

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.

Webinar: The emerging shortage of long-acting benzathine benzylpenicillin

The NACCHO medicines team and medical advisors are hosting a webinar on the emerging shortage of long-acting benzathine benzylpenicillin, under the name Bicillin LA on Tuesday 28th of November from 3:30 – 4:30pm AEDST. This is an important medication for our sector, particularly for rheumatic heart disease and syphilis. 

The webinar will provide further details on the expected scale of the Bicillin LA shortage and provide information on access to an alternative product from ORSPEC Pharma which has been approved for use in Australia under Section 19A. The webinar will also discuss possible alternatives to Bicillin LA as outlined in national guidelines and the CARPA manual and will provide a forum to ask questions of NACCHO staff and representatives from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Please register here.

 For people who are unable to attend, a recording will be made available for people who have registered.

First Nations wisdom harnessed to protect the environment

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been caretakers of Australia’s diverse environments and its wildlife for tens of thousands of years. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rangers is set to double by 2030 as part of federal government efforts to close the gap and centre First Nations knowledge in environmental protection. Linday Burney, Minister for Indigenous Austraians announced that the scheme will receive a $359 million boost to increase the number of Indigenous rangers from 1900 to 3800 by 2030. 

“With more than 65,000 years of experience caring for country, Indigenous rangers hold unique and valuable skills in managing Australia’s natural environment,” Ms Burney said. 

“This will mean more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isaldner people will have the opportunity to do things like protect precious endangered species and control weeds and feral animals.” 

The investment prioritises establishing new Indigenous Rangers Groups in protected areas that don’t already host the program, and hiring more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isaldner women as they currently represent just 33 per cent of the program’s workforce.

“It’s important they have the opportunity to continue the work of their mothers, grandmothers and all their women ancestors and pass this knowledge onto the next generation, because there are no text books, no manuals,” Ms Burney said. 

Read the full NITV article here.

Image source: Source: AAP / Stephanie Rouse.

‘Healthy Skin, Healthy Heart: Let’s END RHD Together’

An initiative to end the spread of skin- and heart disease in Cherbourg received national recognition at an inaugural healthcare award ceremony in Canberra last week. ‘Healthy Skin, Healthy Heart: Let’s END Rheumatic Heart Disease Together’, a joint initiative between Darling Downs Health and the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council, received the Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthcare trophy at the National Rural and Remote Health Awards. 

The award recognised the initiative’s efforts to deliver culturally-appropriate, collaborative and sustainable healthcare to Cherbourg, in an effort to stop the epidemic of rheumatic heart disease in the Burnett First Nations community. The rollout of the ‘Healthy Skin, Healthy Heart’ project by a dedicated team of DDH staff included a mobile heart screening initiative, a skin clinic, community education, and mass administration of medicine to Cherbourg’s residents.

“RHD disproportionately affects First Nations people and is a disease of disadvantage and we all have a role in closing the gap and achieving health equity,” said Dr Priya Janagaraj, Darling Downs Public Health physician. 

“Mobilising actions within a community requires a ‘ground up’ approach, leveraging on collective expertise and commitment of a multidisciplinary team, united by a shared passion and drive to make a difference.”

Read the full article here.

Cherbourg Council and Darling Downs Health representatives accepted the Excellence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthcare award in Canberra. Image source: Burnett Today.

‘ALIVE & Kicking Goals!’ takes home the WA Mental Health Award

Individuals, schools and organisations have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to mental health at the 2023 WA Mental Health Awards. The Awards recognise and reward the achievements of those who demonstrate excellence, innovation and initiative in supporting consumers of mental health services, their families and carers.

ALIVE & Kicking Goals! Youth Suicide Prevention Program (AKG!) took home the Prevention and Promotion Award. Managed by Mens Outreach Service Aboriginal Corporation, AKG! focuses on early intervention and youth suicide prevention through peer-led workshops and one-on-one mentoring. The program was awarded for establishing a program which addresses rising suicide rates, primarily in the West Kimbelery. 

Learn more about the program here. 

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

Truth-telling, local voices still on government’s radar

Truth-telling along with local and regional voices remain on the government’s agenda despite the failed referendum earlier this year. Linda Burney, Indigenous Australians minister will attend a Closing the Gap meeting, along with Aboriginal affairs ministers around the nation and peak body representatives. Just a month on from the failed Indigenous voice referendum, Ms Burney acknowledged that how community can move forward from the setback, would be top of the agenda. She said there would be specific discussions about housing, education and inland water targets. But she wouldn’t close the door on the government’s commitment to the Uluru Statement, which calls for a truth-telling process and a treaty along with a voice.

“Very much what I’m hearing moving around the country is ‘what does it mean for the rest of the Uluru statement?'” Ms Burney told ABC Radio.

“In particular, I’m hearing the importance of truth-telling. I am not saying I’ve got a model in my mind, but I am saying that what I’m hearing very clearly from Aboriginal communities is the importance of truth-telling.”

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

NDIS experiences told at the International Indigenous Disability Research Symposium

Professor John Gilroy, A Yuin man from the NSW South Coast, will see decades of his work come together in the International Indigenous Disability Research Symposium, commencing with the official opening of his art exhibition ‘People’s experience of the NDIS.’ 

“There is still a lot of work to be done to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians living with disability, but the events this week have helped me reflect on how far we have come in our knowledge and understanding,” said Professor Gilroy. 

With representation from academics from Australia, the USA, Canada and Sweden, the goal of the event is to develop a global collaborative research community in Indigenous disability research guided by the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. One of the key focus areas of the symposium will be on how scholars can both empower and respect Indigenous people in disability research.

The artwork by Professor Gilroy seen below, surrounds incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. There is a high prevalence of Aboriginal people with disability being unfairly and unjustly incarcerated due to the criminal justice system not properly equipped to support people with disability, such as brain injury or foetal alcohol syndrome (FASD). The NDIS is not properly engaged with state/territory health and housing systems to appropriately support people with disability to live in the community and prevent reoffending. People with disability have reported that the prison system punishes them as a person rather than helping them with issues pertaining to their mental health and disability. 

Read more here.

Incarceration of Disability and Aboriginality by Professor John Gilroy.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Nov 21 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: A look back at SEWBG-4

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.

A look back at SEWBG-4

Over three days, from 31 July to 2 August 2023, SEWB network members from across Australia attended the fourth Social and Emotional Wellbeing Gathering (SEWBG-4) to discuss social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. SEWB-4 was held in Garramilla (Darwin) on Larrakia Country, Northern Territory and online via Zoom. This hybrid model enabled network members who were unable to participate in person to attend virtually. SEWBG-4 was co-hosted by NACCHO, the University of Western Australia Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing project (TIMHWB), Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia (GDPSA), and the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA), and funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care. 

The aim of the SEWB Gatherings is to bring together SEWB network members to showcase best practice services and programs from across the country and to discuss the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander SEWB policy, practice, and research. The SEWB network includes SEWB and mental health representatives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies and Aboriginal community controlled organisations (ACCOs), academics, practitioners, policymakers, and front-line workers. The strength of the SEWB movement has been made evident by the continued growth of the SEWB network and support for continued SEWB Gatherings, as well as the Government’s explicit commitment to working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and leaders in a era of collective change. 

Day 1 began with a review of the SEWBG recommendations and SEWB policy developments, followed by a special focus on the Voice to Parliament with keynote speakers Thomas Mayo and Tom Calma AO. Day 2 focused on five different presentations around the theme ‘SEWB across the lifespan’ and two presentations on child and maternal SEWB. Four concurrent workshops were held on Day 3, including an SEWB services and workforce workshop, a cultural healers workshop, a men’s SEWB workshop, and a women’s yarning circle.

Following the expert presentations on each day, small group insight workshops were held. Each workshop gave SEWB network members the opportunity to listen and learn from others, to share their thoughts and experiences, reflect on work that has been done, and discuss what there is still to do. The workshops on Day 1 considered what ‘culture first’ means and how the Voice impacts SEWB. Day 2’s workshops considered SEWB needs across the lifespan and the supports needed for child/maternal SEWB. The concurrent workshops held on Day 3 facilitated group discussions amongst workshop attendees. Ultimately, reflections from network members during the workshops across the three days provided engaging points for discussion.

Read the full report here.

Save the date! 2024 NACCHO Members’ Conference

SAVE THE DATE for the 2024 NACCHO MEMBERS’ CONFERENCE.

 After a successful conference in Noongar Boodjar (Perth), we are excited to announce that the 2024 NACCHO Members’ Conference will be held on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country (Canberra) 2–5 December 2024.

 Get it in your calendars!

C the Whole Story Forum

The C the Whole Story Forum on Thursday 30 November brings together Nurses, Community-based workers, NSP Workers, and Peer Workers from around Australia to share their experiences, strategies for success, and innovative approaches to providing treatment to people living with hepatitis C in housing and homelessness, AOD (alcohol and other drugs), and mental health settings. Keynote speakers include people with a living or lived experience, as well as presentations on innovative models of care and approaches to providing hepatitis C testing, treatment, and support across these settings. Participants will have access to a Q&A with speakers and participate in break-out sessions to network and discuss opportunities for implementing different approaches to services. 

To register and learn more go here.

How to be a trans ally

For Trans Awareness Week (13-19 November) the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) produced helpful videos on how to be a helpful ally to trans mob. You can read and watch part 1 here. 

Tips on how to be a better ally for trans mob part 2: 

  • Make space for trans mob voices. Listen, learn and amplify their story. 
  • Share resources and have a yarn with people about how to be better allies. Knowledge is power and education is key. Let’s learn and grow together. 
  • Don’t forget to check in with your trans friends and rainbow mob. A simple “how are you?” can make a difference. 
  • Being a good ally is about love, respect, and understanding.

Need to target health inequities at the source

Health inequalities will persist in Gippsland unless we address the social determinants of health, according to Gippsland Primary Health Network (Gippsland PHN). Research shows that social determinants can be more important than health behaviours or healthcare in influencing health. People with poorer health outcomes include people in regional and remote areas, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability, LGBTIQA+ people, people from a multicultural background, and people with mental health and/ or alcohol and other drug issues.

Factors that lead to delays in seeking healthcare or avoiding treatment altogether include cost for the service, lack of transport, discomfort sharing personal information for fear of judgment, a lack of information about available options for care, and digital barriers. A population health approach recognises that health is shaped by a range of factors with social determinants the most important driver, followed by health behaviours and lifestyles, places and communities, and integrated health and care systems.

Read the full article here.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Nov 16 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: The benefits of integrating pharmacists into ACCHOs

The image in the feature tile is from Unspalsh.

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.

The benefits of integrating pharmacists into ACCHOs

Integrating pharmacists into ACCHOs brings many benefits for patients with chronic diseases, according to Associate Professor Sophia Couzos, a public health physician with the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC). In a Croakey Health Media article Ms Couzos writes: We know that chronic diseases are the leading causes of illness, disability, and death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and are estimated to be responsible for 70 percent of the health gap. This considerable loss of healthy life due to chronic disease burden occurs at 2.3 times the rate for Indigenous people, compared with non-Indigenous Australians.

When 26 non-dispensing pharmacists were integrated into 18 ACCHOs in QLD, the NAT and VIC, with a comprehensive induction process to ensure they had an understanding of the ACCHO setting and of cultural safety, we saw improved outcomes in all the chronic disease categories measured. This project has shown that integrating a pharmacist within an ACCHO can reduce chronic disease burden in patients who are at risk. By expanding out these services, we can reduce the burden on hospitals and GPs, all through better care, and by better utilising the pharmacist workforce we have right now.

Read the full Croakey Health Media article here.

You can also read NACCHO’s July 2023 media release MSAC support funding pharmacists in First Nations Primary Health Services here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Save the date! HIV Awareness Week Trivia

All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services’ staff are invited to join this year’s HIV Awareness Week Virtual Trivia on Thursday 7 December at 3pm (EST). It is a fun and important opportunity to brush up on your HIV knowledge, dust off your sexual health themed costumes, and let your competitive edge shine through.

Sexual health-themed costumes and props are highly encouraged, with prizes for the best dressed up for grabs. Registration and event details will be announced soon. For now, mark your calendars for the annual trivia event of the year.

NACCHO would like to acknowledge Prof. James Ward, University of Queensland’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and SAHMRI, creators of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness Week. HIV Awareness week will continue to build on the successes of the previous programs for years to come. For more information on the original program and the history, please visit here.

Big shout out to Jess and Naizel from Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation, who are 2023’s Lubelicious and Condoman.

QAIHC to launch mental health and wellbeing support program

Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) has secured funding from Queensland Health and NACCHO to launch a comprehensive mental health and wellbeing program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland following the defeat of the Voice to Parliament Referendum in October. QAIHC has identified a pressing need to address the emerging and ongoing social emotional and wellbeing challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Queensland. The “no” vote in the referendum has highlighted feelings of devastation for some, leaving communities, people and their families hurting.

The program will focus on: Member services support (e.g. community events, counselling, yarning circles), workforce and impact (professional debriefing and mental health support for ACCHO and affiliate staff), localised support (employment of local people to provide support and training to community members), community needs (identification of community needs by employing local people such as elders or young leaders to assist ACCHOs) and pathways to healing (health and wellbeing activities).

If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well, or have increased anxiety and depression you can seek immediate help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from:
• 13 Yarn (13 92 76)
• Brother-to-brother (1800 435 799)
• Lifeline (13 11 14)
• Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800)

Read the full article here.

Image source: Sector Leader.

More public hearings announced for the parliamentary inquiry into diabetes

The Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport has announced more public hearings for the parliamentary inquiry into diabetes. There will be five public hearings this month in Canberra, Brisbane, Yarrabah, Cairns, and Melbourne. Dr Mike Freelander MP, Chair of the Committee said, “as part of this broad inquiry, we are looking at all forms of diabetes including type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, and other rarer forms such as cystic fibrosis-related diabetes.” In Yarrabah, the Committee will hear from the local ACCHO,
Gurriny Yealamucka, about its experiences with diabetes.

In May 2023, the inquiry into diabetes welcomed submissions from peak health bodies and other organisations that play a role in the prevention and treatment of diabetes as well as advocacy and education. The Diabetes Australia, Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association joint submission includes a summary of recommendations to reduce the impact of type 2 diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Recommendations include that policies and programs be culturally appropriate, led by communities and designed collaboratively.

You can also read NACCHO’s September 2023 Inquiry into Diabetes here.

Gurriny Yealamucka will meet with the Committee on Tuesday 21 November.

Applications open for Birthing on Country midwifery scholarships

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander midwifery students and graduates are being encouraged to apply for a range of Southern Cross University scholarships and bursaries, including two Birthing on Country Honours Scholarships and several Birthing on Country Placement Bursaries. Recipients will explore Birthing on Country or midwifery education and confidence on providing smoking cessation information for Indigenous women in rural and remote settings. The bursaries will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Bachelor of Midwifery students to attend clinical placement in an Aboriginal Health Service, additional to having travel and accommodation costs covered.

Taneeka Thomas Bachelor of Midwifery alumna and Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr woman said she decided to study midwifery after following the pregnancy journey of a family member and researching the poor maternity outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

“I was really interested in studying midwifery and found there is a big hole in the workforce for Aboriginal midwives. I looked into the statistics for Indigenous women and children and how a big part of improving those outcomes is increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander midwives,” Ms Thomas said.

“The most rewarding experience is working in a continuity model of care, seeing women from the beginning stages of pregnancy right through to when they become mothers. Playing a part in such a big experience in their life makes the work so special.”

Applications close February 1, 2024. Eligibility criteria and applications are available here.

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Bachelor of Midwifery alumna, Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr woman Taneeka Thomas. Image source: SCU.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Key Date – Trans Awareness Week

Monday 13 November – Sunday 19 November is Trans Awareness Week. The aim of the week is to celebrate trans and gender diverse pride and learn how to be a trans ally. The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) created a video with helpful tips on how to be a better ally to trans mob:

1. Use people’s proper pronouns. If you’re not sure, just ask. It shows respect and support.
2. Make your space inclusive by proudly displaying the trans, pride, and First Nations flags.
3. If someone changes their name as a part of their gender affirmations, use the name they tell you and not their birth name.
4. Remember, being a good ally is about love, respect, and understanding.

Nov 14 2023

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

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.

Read more here.

Air Force dental assistant Sergeant Deborah Williamson and Uncle Clyde Russ. Image Source: Australian Government Defence.

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.

Nov 8 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: Data research on family and sexual violence

protest in Alice Springs with Aboriginal women holding banner with Aboriginal art and text 'Town Camp Women Say Stop the Violence'

The image in the feature tile is from an ABC News article Domestic violence in Alice Springs town camps prompts march to raise awareness published on 11 July 2017.

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.

Data research on family and sexual violence

The Albanese Labor Government is investing $15m in First Nations-led research on domestic and family violence, as part of our concrete action towards ending violence against women and children within a generation. This targeted investment is the next stage in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan under The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32 and reflects the need for concrete action by culturally informed data and evidence eco-system, created and managed by First Nations peoples.

Target 13 under the National Agreement to Close the Gap is to reduce the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children by 50% by 2031. Current data collection is insufficient to measure progress on this target. The first step to reducing these disproportionate rates of violence is to fully understand the scope of the problem. The $15m research investment will be delivered over five years and aims to develop a data set that can show a national picture for First Nations women and children, whilst being nuanced for community differences and embedding culturally sensitive data collection and reporting practices. An improved evidence framework will also allow the Government to better track progress.

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth emphasised the importance of First Nations people leading the approach to data collection in communities, “It is vital that First Nations peoples lead and own the research that helps to understand the nature and extent of experiences of violence for First Nations women and children. This not only means that we can gain a much stronger picture of the nature and extent of family violence, but that First Nations people have sovereignty over the research and resulting data that will help shape solutions and strategies to end violence against First Nations women and children.”

To view media release First Nations-led data research on family, domestic, and sexual violence, issued yesterday by the Minister for Families and Social Services of Australia, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, in full click here. The below video is a trailer to the documentary Not Just Numbers about the a group of inspirational women, the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group, and their work towards preventing family and domestic violence.

Waterloo housing for mob welcome

The CEOs of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (MLALC) and the Aboriginal Medical Services Limited (AMS) have welcomed the NSW government’s commitment to a minimum of 15% of all social and affordable housing in the Waterloo South redevelopment being for Aboriginal people. The Redfern Waterloo Alliance of ACCHOs and Allies arranged a media event, with Warren Roberts speaking as the chairperson and campaign organiser, and Siobhan Bryson, the CEO of Weave, speaking on behalf of the allies.

In announcing changes to Waterloo South, Housing Minister Rose Jackson increased both the amount of social and affordable housing in that redevelopment as well as the proportion that would be dedicated to Aboriginal people. The changes guarantee there will be at least 135 Aboriginal social housing homes and 90 Aboriginal affordable housing homes delivered in Waterloo South through an Aboriginal affordable housing provider.

“This is an opportunity to show a commitment to the Aboriginal community remaining in the area that is famous for Aboriginal people, and where our rights movement commenced and is based,” said Nathan Moran, MLALC CEO. “The Aboriginal Medical Service Redfern considers housing a major component toward improving better health outcomes for Aboriginal people in our community,” said LaVerne Bellear, AMS CEO.

To view The South Sydney Herald article Aboriginal housing for Waterloo welcomed in full click here.

Warren Roberts, Siobhan Bryson, LaVerne Bellear and Nathan Moran standing outside building with 'Matavai' written on it

Warren Roberts, Siobhan Bryson, LaVerne Bellear and Nathan Moran. Photo: Geoff Turnbull. Image source: The South Sydney Herald.

Language at heart of community health

Roughly 250 kms NE of Alice Springs is a place called Utopia. Composed of a loose collection of sparsely populated clan sites in the inland desert, the area is the traditional homeland of the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr peoples, roughly 500 of whom still live in Utopia today. A small body of relatively new scholarship has identified Utopia – where 88% of the population  speaks Alyawarr, and just 3.5% speaking exclusively English at home – as the site of an intriguing phenomenon, the link between the wellbeing of a language and the wellbeing of its speakers.

‘Language is medicine,’ state the authors who explore precisely this nexus in The Oxford Handbook of Endangered Languages (2018). Collectively, these authors are involved in documenting, teaching, researching and maintaining a diverse array of languages across what is now North America. Their striking observation, informed in many cases by scholarship in the authors’ own communities, crystallises the central claim of a small but growing body of research that insists that the declining health of a community’s language does not merely occur alongside sickness in a community but is itself the root of this sickness. If true, the opposite holds as well: namely, that strengthening the use of Indigenous languages offers a path towards physical and emotional healing for their speakers.

At a time when minority languages around the world face continuing pressures from dominant cultures to assimilate – something we witnessed clearly during the COVID-19 pandemics, when vital medical information was literally unavailable across the United States’ big cities in numerous languages spoken by minority groups – what can these perspectives tell us about how we define wellness? What might they add to our understanding of where the tongue ends and the body (corporeal and politic) begins?

To view the essay Language is medicine written by Erica X Eisen and published by Aeon in full click here.

Amnesty International urge greater scrutiny 

Amnesty International Australia (Amnesty) has expressed sorrow and anger following the death of a 41-year old Indigenous man remanded in custody in Hakea Prison, WA. Amnesty noted that coming “just weeks” after Indigenous teenager Cleveland Dodd died by suicide inside Casuarina Prison’s Unit 18 juvenile wing, “the fact that yet another Indigenous life has been lost is outrageous and unacceptable, and highlights a system that is fundamentally broken”.

Amnesty’s Indigenous Rights Advisor, Palawa Elder Uncle Rodney Dillon, said there needs to be a higher level of scrutiny and culpability when it comes to Indigenous deaths in custody. “Each case should be investigated independently by a criminal investigator, and not rely on a government coroner. Our mob are dying inside these prisons. No one has been found responsible, and there are no recommendations coming from the coroner that are stopping deaths in custody,” he said.

Amnesty International Australia’s Community Engagement Associate Campaigner, Rachael McPhail, said “These are preventable deaths that are caused by systemic racism, unconscious bias and a justice system that is heavily stacked against First Nations Peoples.” Amnesty International Australia has repeatedly called for the prevention of Indigenous deaths in custody, by urging governments to implement the 339 recommendations made by the 1991 Royal Commission into Deaths in Custody.

To view the National Indigenous Times article Amnesty International urge greater scrutiny after another Indigenous death in custody in full here.

Hakea Prison, WA

Hakea Prison. Photo: Justin Benson-Cooper (The Sunday Times). Image source: National Indigenous Times.

Research into illicit drug use in regional Victoria

Associate Professor Bernadette Ward, from Monash Rural Health, is helping lead a huge expansion of research into illicit drug use in rural Victoria, collecting information on what’s now the largest active group of people who use drugs in Australia. The new study, called MIXMAX, combines two established projects – the SuperMIX study of people who inject drugs, and the VMAX study on methamphetamine (ice) smoking in metropolitan and regional Victoria.

MIXMAX is a partnership between Monash Rural Health and the Burnet Institute. It will initially focus on the Mildura region after receiving new funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). SuperMIX began in 2008, and is a Burnet Institute study based in Melbourne. VMAX began in 2016, focusing on Melbourne, Bendigo, Shepparton and Gippsland.

A community event by Monash Rural Health and the Burnet Institute will be held in Mildura tonight, 8 November 2023, to explain the expansion. Researchers will also meet healthcare workers and a regional Indigenous health group ahead of the study. Associate Professor Ward said “We do know that in Mildura, anecdotally, there are lots of reports of people and family members and friends who’ve experienced some of the harm related to illicit drug abuse. Traditionally, in places like Mildura, small rural towns, there may have been some research done, but it’s usually a one-off. And what we’re now launching into is a five-year study in Mildura. We’ll be recruiting several hundred research participants and following them over time and talking to them about their illicit drug use, their mental health, their support services, their family, who they live with, what support they get, their involvement with the criminal justice system, and their behaviours around things like driving, how they use the drugs, and the frequency. We’ll also be seeking permission from them to collect some blood to look at their bloodborne virus status, so their hepatitis C, and HIV.”

To view the Monash University LENS article Shining a light on illicit drug use in regional Victoria in full click here.

wooden bench with tablets, spoon with white powder, syringe & alfoil

Image source: Monash University LENS webpage.

New LGBTQA+ youth suicide prevention program

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

Funding for the first ever Elder-led intervention to support young Aboriginal LGBTQA+ people will bring new hope for the youth group most at risk of suicide in the nation says Edith Cowan University (ECU). ECU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students, Equity and Indigenous) Professor Braden Hill and colleagues from ECU, Murdoch University and the Telethon Kids Institute have been awarded an NHMRC/Medical Research Future Fund grant entitled, Pride Yarns: Development and trial of an inter-generational intervention for supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young peoples’ wellbeing.

The $624,000 of funding over two years will enable researchers to develop and test the feasibility and efficacy of an Elder-led intervention for improving the social emotional wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ people aged 14-25. It’s based on positive findings from the Pride Yarns with Mob (PYWM) pilot project – which provided opportunities for Aboriginal LGBTQA+ young people to connect meaningfully with Elders. The pilot resulted in young people expressing an increased level of cultural connection and feelings of acceptance and social inclusion of the LGBTQA+ identity within Noongar culture.

10% of Aboriginal young people aged 16–29 years report being lesbian, gay or bisexual and four per cent as trans and gender diverse. Professor Hill said despite a comparatively high rate of suicide and mental health difficulties among Aboriginal LGBTQA+ youth, they remain one of the most under-served groups of youth in Australia in terms of tailored psychological support. “The urgency for interventions such as this cannot be underestimated,” he said.

To view the OUTinPerth article New suicide prevention program for LGBTQA+ [I]ndigenous youth article in full click here.

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

13YARN – 13 92 76, 13yarn.org.au

Lifeline – 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au

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

MensLine – 1300 789 978

Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800

Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467

Sector Jobs

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

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

Nov 7 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: ACCHO-led outreach services as VIC decriminalises public drunkenness

The image in the feature tile is from Wathaurong Aboriginal cooperative.

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.

ACCHO-led outreach services as VIC decriminalises public drunkenness

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians will have access to dedicated services throughout the state as Victoria decriminalises public drunkenness. There will be eight dedicated regional services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians which will provide help and support for intoxicated people, along with one First Nations sobering centre in St Kilda.

The eight regional areas are:

  • Geelong – Wathaurong Aboriginal cooperative
  • Ballarat – Ballarat and District Aboriginal cooperative
  • Bendigo – Bendigo and District Aboriginal cooperative
  • Shepparton – Rumbalara Aboriginal cooperative
  • Mildura – Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal corporation, supported by Mildura Base hospital
  • Swan Hill – Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal corporation
  • Latrobe – Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal corporation
  • East Gippsland – Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal corporation

Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation will run four of the regional services along with their pre-existing facility in St Kilda, which will become a six-bed sobering centre from today, Tuesday 7 November.

Ngwala CEO De-Joel Upkett said the programs they’ve previously operated would benefit now that clinical responses are included in services they can deliver.

“We always have met with community, but to be able to deliver a clinical response with a holistic approach; you know it’s an opportunity to bring community back into our services,” he said.

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

Cohealth’s outreach van. Image source: National Indigenous Times.

ADHD inquiry calls for national prescribing rules

An inquiry into attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has called for a national consistency in diagnosis and treatment to improve the lives of those with the condition. The Senate inquiry found cost, location, cultural and gendered barriers to access along with different prescribing rules in every state and territory are seeing some wait years for help. Senators heard these barriers to access have significant flow on effects seeing those with ADHD facing shorter life expectancy and higher rates of incarceration, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicide.

Director of policy at NACCHO, Nadine Blair told senators the issue particularly affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“One of the things that we know is that there are a lot of barriers for people, particularly for those living in border communities,” she said.

“If you are receiving your script from a doctor in one jurisdiction but you’re trying to fill it in another jurisdiction, that is problematic, you can’t always fill a script from another jurisdiction.”

Read the full ABC News article here.

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

Image source: ABC News.

“It’s got to be Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands, every day” – Danila Dilba on Prison Health care.

Danila Dilba Health Service provides a program to support young people detained at the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre. A team of Aboriginal youth workers provides therapeutic group work and one-on-one support, as well as a weekly program that includes after-hours and some weekend activities such as sport and recreation.

At the 2023 NACCHO Members’ Conference session Prison Health Care, Tiana McCoy, Executive Manager, Clinical Services at Danila Dilba Health Service spoke about the successes and opportunities for improvements in providing wrap around support for youth detainees, following the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory.

Speaking about the Prison Health Care program, Ms McCoy stated, “Nobody else in the country had done this, so we were the first to step up and say, ‘we will be the leaders for making this the norm’ – because we are the only ones, it’s got to be Aboriginal Health in Aboriginal Hands, every day.”

Having doctors and nurses providing these services in the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre makes it accessible to young people who may not ordinarily seek out health and medical support. The question Ms McCoy is asking is, ‘How do we give them the tools to be able to walk into any of our clinics and know that they can see a staff member?” and get support.

She explained that many young people at the youth detention centre come from remote communities, and the health service loses sight of them once they return to Community.

Since the Royal Commission in 2017, there have been improvements in the youth detention space including, increased engagement with the health system, medication compliance, and vaccination rates. Ms McCoy said that this all indicates ‘that we’ve actually made a change and it’s been a positive change, and does that measure success? Yes. Definitely.”

Other opportunities for improvement outlined in the session include:

  • Medicare billing.
  • The current Don Dale facility is not fit for purpose.
  • Raising the age of criminal responsibility.
  • Increased funding for therapeutic care/diversional therapy.
  • Staffing levels.

Learn more here.

Elder Care Support Training in Whyalla

NACCHO attended the South Australian West Coast ACCHO Network’s (SAWCAN) Elder Care Support Training in Whyalla. The Elder Care Support program is designed to deliver Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care support, connection, and coordination. SAWCAN staff, Shellander and Rianna attended NACCHO’s ‘train the trainer’ Elder Care Support session earlier this year and rolled the training out to their members last week.

Stakeholders in the Aged Care space attended the three-day training which allowed for ACCHOs to speak directly with key stakeholders on issues affecting our Elders. It was a great opportunity to bring the SAWCAN Elder Care Support staff together to discuss the future of the program and how to best support our Elders.

Learn more about Elder Care Support here.

Elder Care Support Training in Whyalla.

SWAMS Djin Djin Mart providing social and support services.

South West Aboriginal Medical Service (SWAMS) has opened the doors to a new home for those wanting a yarn or needing support. Djin Djin Mart, or good group support in Noongar, was officially opened last month as the new home of the organisation’s social men’s and women’s groups, and a disability peer support group.

SWAMS chief executive Lesley Nelson said it was exciting to see the building come to fruition,” I believe the staff that are involved in this space out here, they’re certainly going to ensure it is a safe space, it is a cultural space and it’s a space that will welcome everyone that wants to come in.”

Djin Djin Mart will also offer expanded mental health, alcohol and other drug support through the Mental Health Commission-sponsored Moorditj Mia program, which will include weekly relaxion, arts and crafts and music sessions.

Mental health, alcohol and other drug manager Justin Brown said it was fantastic to see the facility opened,” it is about bringing people and community together so we can come and enjoy each other’s company.”

Read more here.

Justin Brown, Tessa Grimshaw, Lesley Nelson and Ernie Hill. Image source: The West Australian.

Sector Jobs

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

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

 

Nov 2 2023

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

The image in the feature tile is from Unsplash.

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

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

Shingles vaccine now free for Indigenous people over 50

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

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

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

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

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

Image source: ABC News.

Black Rainbow on preventing Indigenous LGBTQIA+SB suicide

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

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

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

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

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

Learn more about Black Rainbow here.

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

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

QAIHC urges Indigenous-led reform on deaths in custody

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

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

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

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

Read the full National Indigenous Times article here.

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

VACCHO supports decriminalisation of public drunkenness

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

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

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

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

Read the full article here.

Image source: National Indigenous Times.

International Indigenous Disability Research Conference

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

The symposium will address three questions:

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

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

Register here.

‘Welcome Baby to Bourke’ recognised

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

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

Read more here.

Image source: ABC News.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Oct 12 2023

NACCHO Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health News: At least 218 health and medical organisations say Yes to the Voice

The image in the feature tile is of NACCHO staff members on Ngunnawal Country.

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.

At least 218 health and medical organisations say Yes to the Voice

At least 218 health and medical organisations are supporting a Yes vote in the referendum to establish a constitutionally enshrined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to parliament and the executive. The wide-ranging health issues at stake in the Voice referendum were canvassed during a #CroakeyLIVE webinar this week, as Australians were urged to vote for “love and hope,” rather than “fear and rage.” Panelists at the #VoiceforHealth event, who included Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler, talked about the “enormously unifying, uplifting moment” in the nation’s life that a Yes vote could deliver.

“There’s a lot of racial gaslighting going on which, for me, really highlights the absolute need for historic truth telling,” Lowitja Institute CEO Adjunct Professor Janine Mohamed, a Nurrunga Kaurna women told the event.

Ms Mohamed said a Yes vote would make a significant difference, because “our spirits would be lifted pretty high, we would feel very supported and valued by the Australian public.”

For the Lowitja Institute a Voice would work towards a community-led research agenda that directed funding where it was needed.

“In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research, so much of the issue is not actually about how much money is spent, because there is actually a lot of money in the system. It’s where it actually gets to,” Ms Mohamed said.

She said a Voice would more efficiently target funds to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and communities to lead research on issues they identified as priorities. That would result in better quality research and knowledge translation, as well as a stream of secondary effects, including investment in local communities, increased research workforce capability, better health literacy, greater awareness about invaluable cultural knowledges and health system savings.

See Croakey Health Media’s list of health and medical organisations supporting the Yes vote here and read the full Craokey Health Media article here.

You can also information on the Voice and wellbeing resources here.

Many voices for health, at the #CroakeyLIVE webinar on 9 October. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

Dialysis clinic says Voice can save lives

Rachel Napaltjarri, an Aboriginal woman suffering from end-stage kidney failure, is one of dozens of Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people who are treated each day for kidney failure at remote dialysis clinics run by The Purple House, an Aboriginal community-led health service. The Purple House CEO, Sarah Brown said it is an example of how community involvement can improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“We don’t have flashier machines or more experienced nurses.

“The only difference is that people are running this place together, and they get to control what happens to them and they can help other communities out,” she said.

Purple House is evidence of how including the community can improve outcomes, Ms Brown said. This is why she hopes the country will vote Yes on October 14.

“Having policy where Aboriginal people have actually been able to advise and have some input on whether the idea is going to work or not is such a simple no-brainer but could have such a big impact,” she said.

Read the full article here.

Image source: Reuters.

Community-led school breakfast program demonstrates how the Voice could make a practical difference

When programs are designed and delivered by the communities involved, measures of wellbeing improve, according to the experiences of community members from the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Western Australia and researchers. Rosalind Beadle, Olive Nyalypingka Lawson, and Bill Genat write: Leading up to the referendum, those in the Yes camp are referring to how the Voice will help empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with benefits for their health and wellbeing. But what does this mean in practice?

In the community of Warburton (Ngaanyatjarra Lands, Western Australia), between 2008 and 2015 a group of grandmothers responded to low school attendance by providing school breakfast for the children. While school breakfast programs aren’t unusual in this context, they are typically instigated and delivered by outsiders, such as teachers, youth workers, and through food donation programs. However, this program was initiated, designed, delivered, and governed by local Ngaanyatjarra women.

Local initiation meant that the community were responding to an issue that was of immediate concern to them, not one that had been identified by outsiders. The grandmothers who designed the program did so in a way that was grounded in their tacit knowledge of family relationships and community life. Their deep understanding of context ensured the program reflected the needs pf the school children and the broader community. The program’s success led to the women initiating a broad suite of additional activities that addressed other issues of wellbeing: meals for the elderly, a teenage girls’ support program, developing relevant literacy resources for school children, and catering for school and community events.

Read the full article here.

The Warburton Breakfast Minyma. Image source: Croakey Health Media.

Why the Voice would be better for mums and bubs

There remain stubbornly disproportionate statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and their babies compared to non-Indigenous mothers and babies. Mother and former nurse of 20 years, Laura Soderlind writes: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents want the same thing as any Australian parents want – happy, healthy children who can grow to reach their full potential. But the long-term consequences of low birth wright on people, their families and the health system are significant. We know that low birth weight babies are more likely to die in infancy, develop chronic diseases and are especially at risk of developmental difficulties.

The Closing the Gap target 2 aims to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies with a healthy birthweight to 91% by 2031. As Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ms Soderlind said she’ll be voting Yes on October 14 as she has seen the health system from all angles.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face starkly different outcomes when it comes to health across the board.

“If we keep doing the same thing, we can expect the same results. It’s time to change how we tackle these problems, so we get better results.

“Communities have solutions to these problems. Governments, like doctors and nurses, always do better when we listen to them,” she said.

Read more here.

Image source: Women’s Agenda.

Voice could advise on how to address natural disasters

Disaster events like bushfires are predicted to increase both in frequency and severity as the climate changes. The Voice to Parliament has the potential to be an effective way to this riskier future, write Professor Claire Hooker and Associate Professor Michelle Dickson. The Voice will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to better undertake urgent tasks of planning and disaster preparation. First Nations people around the world have experience in successfully adapting to changing climates, reaching back tens of thousands of years.

Some Australians are already turning to Aboriginal and Tores Strait Islander knowledge of Country to prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the impacts of natural hazards. First Nations strategies – from “cool burn” bushfire hazard reduction such as the world leading Fire to Flourish program, to waterway management – can prevent disasters, or reduce their scale.

The Voice has the potential to provide the means for the Australian Government to learn from this expertise. This could enable all Australians to see and benefit from the extraordinary strengths in Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities.

Read more here.

Image source: Unsplash.

Sector Jobs

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

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

Key Date – Mental Health Week

Saturday 7 October to Sunday October 15 marks Mental Health Week for QLD, WA, and the NT.

Early this week, Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation posted to socials that Milingimbi staff held a Mental Health Beach Cook Up to celebrate.

Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council looked to celebrate their deadly mental health/alcohol and other drug workers.

Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia writes: This year’s theme is Mind, Body, and Environment. How the mind, body and environment intersect is essential to overall wellbeing. Physical health – both inside of us and in the world around us – has a major impact on our mental health. The nutrition we consume, movement of our bodies, the health of the planet and the quality of housing and neighbourhoods all have a part to play in building healthy communities and people. We encourage you all to participate in local events, conversations, and activities to raise the awareness of positive mental health and wellbeing.

For mental health resources go here. 

If you are feeling stressed, not sleeping well or have increased anxiety and depression, you can seek help from: