AH&MRC Ear Health Forum in collaboration with our Ear health stakeholders and Member Services was held at Mercure Hotel Sydney NSW on Gadigal country, on Friday 9th December 2022.
This event was a great opportunity for our ACCHO sector to discuss the critical issues around ear health, and also showcase health training and equipment that is available to them. We were also able to address gaps and barriers with this section, and solutions in how to get more accessible quality of care in Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander communities.
We received a high attendance with over 40 patrons across our Member Services, Stakeholders and also special guests.
Special thanks to Uncle Allen Madden for our Welcome to Country, and AH&MRC Director or Operation Joanne Grant who addressed the forum, and Nicole Turner who was our MC for the day.
We’re also fortunate enough to have guest speaker via Zoom Professor Kelvin Kong who is an Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgeon (Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon) who has demonstrated history of working across the health industry, involved in clinical research, medical education, medicine, surgery, paediatrics, health policy and Indigenous education.
All our guest speakers were widely received, and included Rural Doctors Network, Hearing Australia First Nations Unit, Tafe NSW, Sonic Equipment, AH&MRC Service Performance and Quality Acting Manager Richie Garcia.
Finally, thanks to all the staff that helped put this event together.
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AH&MRC The Deadly Doctors Forum was held at the Crown Plaza Coogee beach on Bidjigal and Gadigal country, who traditionally occupy Sydney Coast.
This event was held on the 24th November 2022, with over 30 General Practitioners within the ACCHO sector.
This event is a great opportunity for General Practitioners who work in the ACCHO sector to network and discuss the critical issues that affect their work and the sector alike. The event left everyone feeling connected to a community of peers.
There were doctors from ACCHSs across NSW including Awabakal, Armajun, Illawarra, Bullinah, Tharawal, Dubbo, Katoomba, RivMed, Walhallow , Katungal, Durri and Redfern.
Those who attended were privileged to be able to participate in an ochre ceremony led by Susan Moylan-Coombs from the Gaimaragal Group as part of a session on Positive Cultural Appreciation, Self-Care and support for doctors working in ACCHSs.
Dr Kathryn Hutt and Dr Ameeta Patel from Doctors Health NSW also presented and facilitated a session encouraging self-compassion and connection with peers; we all contributed to a ‘self-care tree’ where on each leaf participants wrote a suggestion of how health workers can look after ourselves, to enable us to look after others. This became a great talking piece throughout the day.
One of our guest speakers Dr Joe Lawler, consultant gastroenterologists and hepatologist in Sydney’s Inner West and in Western NSW, gave a presentation on Hepatitis B and C and bowel cancer screening in Aboriginal communities which was universally well received.
Another speaker was Ru Kwedza from the NSW Cancer Institute explained the background and findings of the ‘Aboriginal People in NSW Reporting for Better Cancer Outcomes Report’ to give doctors better insight into the impact of cancer in the Aboriginal Communities where they are working.
Chris Allan, Mental Health worker at Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service explained how he and his team were supporting home detox for their community members saving them having to wait for long periods to getting into the very limited detox centres in their area.
We were lucky to have Kristy Williams (midwife), Annika Honeyset (Aboriginal Health Practitioner), and Dr Megan Elliott-Rudder to explain their innovative mums and bubs program that is delivered on site at Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation.
Finally, one of our AH&MRC Health Programs Officers Mafi Kailahi facilitated a round table on ear health giving participants the chance to give feedback on the new KPI’s being introduced in 2023 and what is working (and not working) in the ear health space.
The day ended with a group photo with the sun shining and still time to walk down to the beach.
AH&MRC are looking forward to providing ongoing support for doctors working in the ACCHS sector in 2023. Watch this space for more information in 2023 and contact us publichealth@ahmrc.org.au if you would like to be included in our Deadly Doctors contact list.
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The NSW Government has announced $10.9 million in funding towards the Healthy Deadly Kids program (HDK) to enhance school attendance levels in Aboriginal communities across the State. The official announcement happened today at AH&MRC Training Institute in Little Bay today.
In 2019, Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service designed and piloted this Indigenous community program as a way to promote healthy living education, aimed at primary school aged children from Early Stage 1 – Stage 3 that focuses on teaching a holistic view of health and wellbeing.
“I would like to acknowledge Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service who established HDK as a school-based health program. Because of their initiative we now can expand this much needed program across many other areas and schools”. CEO of AH&MRC Robert Skeen explains.
The additional funding will support partnerships between Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and will help AH&MRC deliver it online and make it available to all Australian kids across all local schools.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Ben Franklin said this funding would empower and drive tangible change for Aboriginal communities across NSW in school attendance rates
“The NSW Government is committed to investing in outcomes, designed and delivered by Aboriginal people for all Aboriginal people and communities to prosper across our State,” Mr Franklin said.
“This funding will support an Aboriginal-led initiative aiming to enhance school attendance in Aboriginal communities whilst empowering and educating the younger generation to make positive changes around healthy eating and lifestyle choices.
“This investment, which builds on the historic $716 million announced in the 2022/23 State Budget, will further shift the dial on Closing the Gap and deliver positive outcomes for Aboriginal people across NSW.”
CEO of AH&MRC Robert Skeen said this additional funding would allow the program to make a significant impact in Aboriginal communities across the State.
“The AH&MRC is excited to work with our members to deliver comprehensive school-based health programs throughout NSW. We would like to thank the NSW Government for their ongoing support in addressing the disparities in Aboriginal health,” Mr Skeen said.
“The program has already had a positive impact, with students who have lived through, and are still living in an intergenerational trauma cycle who have aspirations for their future.”
The program will be rolled out in 14 priority locations across the state including Broken Hill and Wellington and will benefit over 2000 children.
