Our People to Live Stronger & Longer

Author: Pawas Gupta

Health Programs – Bourke MAYI Festival

Posted on by Pawas Gupta

The Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW (AH&MRC) approached the Bourke
Aboriginal Corporation Health Service (BACHS) to work in partnership on delivering a community
event that promoted the importance of annual Aboriginal Health checks (also known as 715s’).
Conveniently, BACHS were in the planning phases of convening the first community event since the
COVID-19 outbreak, known as the MAYI festival. The event was a day of remembrance and healing
for community.

MAYI’s meaning derived from the many clan groups that reside in Bourke and close surrounding
areas, originally being that there were 22, and has since been found that there are now around 15
clan groups residing in Bourke. The meaning of MAYI (meaning ‘one’) was introduced by Uncle Phil
Saunders, who opened the event with a warm welcome to the many people that were in
attendance, expressing the importance to the meaning of the event, Uncle Phil Saunders said that
‘’there are many things that make us different, but for this brief moment, we are one, one mob,
standing together on such an important and special day’’.

The AH&MRC sponsored the event and were invited to set up a stall to promote the Your Health, Your
Future (YHYF) program. The Your Health Your Future program seeks to enhance health literacy,
increase awareness and knowledge of annual health checks, and provide further engagement though
health promotional days at a community level in collaboration with member services. The
messaging and engagement with Aboriginal Communities by the AH&MRC serves to be culturally safe,
educational, and effortlessly drawn off the effective mode of health promotion through modelling on
lived experience and understanding the structural theories of Aboriginal perspectives.
The program aims to utilise 2 models of health those of that being the social and health promotion
models. Ultimately the program engages directly with community and works collaboratively with
member services to increase health education through the promotion of the importance of annual
715s.

Your Health Your Future promotes the concept of self-determination and encourages Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander People to take care of their health.

Your Health not only centralises around one being, or an individual, it targets Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people as a collective. It encourages individuals to not only be in control of their
health, but to promote the importance of all health, to all people.

Your Future is a key component of taking care of physical, mental, and spiritual health, it promotes
the concept of staying healthy for one and all’s future. Future is dependant of knowledge, kin, and
good health.

The YHYF artwork represents AH&MRC’s commitment to ensuring access to high quality health care services for Aboriginal communities, the colours used show the connection to our land and the importance of this in our health journey. Each element points to the health challenges that our people face and the journey to healing -Aleera Baker, Artist

The AH&MRC engaged community members at the MAYI festival through the promotion of
merchandise, inclusive of shirts, lunch boxes, backpacks, yoga mats, sportswear, football’s, and
umbrellas and fun activities for kids and adults that depicted aspects of good health.
Activities involved in getting the merchandise consisted of completing a video promoting what good
health is, how community take care of there health or simply saying ‘Your Health, Your Future’.
Community was also encouraged to utilize their local Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) if they were
interested in receiving more merchandise, and education was subtly provided about the annual
Aboriginal Health Checks (715s).

Throughout the day, there was great uptake of these videos’, consent was sought, and information
was provided on the futuristic use of the videos captured. Overall, community members were really
encouraging and enthusiastic in participating in the activities. A collated video of communities
yarning about ‘your health, your future’, will be provided to BACHS on completion.
The entire day met the expectation of its meaning through bringing community together as ‘one’,
storytelling, yarning and laughing –
The AH&MRC were so proud to be apart of such a significant event in the Bourke community, and
thank the community for being so welcoming, and participating in the promotion of the importance
of ‘stepping up, for a checkup’ (YHYF).

BHP enables culturally safe vaccination program for Indigenous Australians in New South Wales.

Posted on by Pawas Gupta

The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) has gratefully received support from BHP to aid in the provision of culturally safe care for Aboriginal communities across New South Wales (NSW) in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At AH&MRC we recognise the importance of reaching into community and providing medical care outside traditional clinical spaces. Therefore, with thanks to BHP, we have purchased a motorhome to allow Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHOs) to hold mobile vaccination clinics in their local communities.

Mobile vaccination clinics offer greater access to vaccines for Aboriginal people by overcoming geographical barriers whilst ensuring cultural safety. Providing this service will help to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and keep communities safe.

BHP’s Vice President NSW Energy Coal Adam Lancey said: “We are proud to support the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW in their important work delivering better health outcomes for Indigenous people in this state, particularly for those in regional areas.”

In the short term, this asset will be used in the Northern Rivers region, where whole communities and ACCHOs clinics have been devastated by the recent flooding. This is a key example of how AH&MRC can use assets, like those acquired thanks to BHP, to meet the immediate needs of Aboriginal communities.

CEO Robert Skeen of AH&MRC states “In 2021, AH&MRC have a created a COVID-19 response team who assist Member Services with COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and resources. Our response team is an integral part of our vision and with the help of the valuable partnership of BHP we’re able to provide care to all our mob in every community across the state”.

In the long term, this asset will be used to connect with the Aboriginal people with ACCHOs. This motorhome will bridge this gap and allow for greater access to high quality, comprehensive primary health care services across NSW.

The purchase of the motorhome was made possible thanks to BHP, who, through their generous donation will help Aboriginal communities access culturally safe care throughout NSW.

Official Media Release. 

AH&MRC welcomes the NSW Government’s 2022-23 Budget

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This week, Treasurer Matt Kean, delivered the 2022-23 Budget. The Budget included a commitment of $188.6 million in additional funding over four years to support the delivery of Closing the Gap.

This funding will deliver a suite of 28 new government-wide initiatives, developed through the partnership between the NSW Government and NSW CAPO, of which the AH&MRC is a member.  Among these initiatives are:

  • $29.6 million for a number of Aboriginal-specific health initiatives including :
  • $10.1 million to implement and sustain effective cultural models of mental health and wellbeing care for First Nations people in partnership with the community-controlled sector
  • $9.8 million to expand the Building on Aboriginal Communities’ Resilience initiative to a further 12 Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations.
  • $32.3 million to drive local decision-making and support the community-controlled sector.
  • $47.0 million to support strong data and governance to drive the Government’s partnership approach with First Nations communities.
  • $91.1 million to support First Nations languages, culture and survivors of the Stolen Generations and to accelerate the repatriation of First Nations remains.

AH&MRC welcomes the government’s commitment towards empowering First Nations communities. This partnership approach represents a shift in the way that government does business with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), one which will ensure better outcomes for Aboriginal communities across New South Wales.

AH&MRC Chief Executive and Co-Chair of NSW CAPO, Robert Skeen, commended Premier Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Ben Franklin for their investment and ongoing commitment to the partnership.

“I would like to thank the Premier and Minister Franklin, on behalf of the NSW ACCHO sector and NSW CAPO. I am excited to continue the Closing the Gap Journey together, as equals, and to see these initiatives delivering outcomes for our Aboriginal communities. The real work begins now” Mr Skeen said.

The government has also increased funding for the health sector more broadly through measures including:

  • $4.5 billion for the NSW Health workforce to ease pressure on existing health workers and support the delivery of quality health care by recruiting 10,148 full-time equivalent staff to hospitals and health services across the State.
  • $2.4 billion over 10 years to increase the regional workforce with strategies to address the future pipeline of healthcare workers.
  • $149.5 million to boost patient travel and accommodation assistance by improving access to timely health care and reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients.

While these additional measures are not Aboriginal-specific, it will be critical that the government accounts for the Aboriginal health workforce,  Aboriginal community-controlled health services and their communities in their rollout.

Download Media Release

AH&MRC Human Research Ethics Committee wins a Indigenous Governance Award.

Posted on by Pawas Gupta

In its 25th year, the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW Human Research Ethics Committee has received from Reconciliation Australia, an Indigenous Governance Award.

On Wednesday the 8 th of June 2022 at the ICC Sydney, The Indigenous Governance Awards ceremony, hosted by Reconciliation Australia and the BHP Foundation, acknowledged and celebrated outstanding examples of governance in Indigenous led non-incorporated initiatives, projects, or within small to large businesses.

Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council Human Research Ethics Committee (AH&MRC HREC) was nominated for category 1 of the awards and won the award against some amazing finalists within the category.

Kelly Jones, representative of AH&MRC and Research Ethics Coordinator states “This award means a lot for the organisation and team and we’re proud to have annually reviewed over 100 submissions, to ensure that any research about Aboriginal people conducted in NSW is ethically correct.”

AH&MRC HREC was established in 1996 to ensure that research conducted with and about Aboriginal people in NSW is conducted both ethically and culturally. It stood out to the judges because of its long and committed history in a space that is often overlooked.

See Media Release for more information

The AH&MRC congratulates the incoming Labor government

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The AH&MRC congratulates the Prime Minster and new Labor government on their election victory. The AH&MRC also extend its congratulations to the incoming Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Linda Burney, who will serve as a critical Indigenous voice in the Australian Parliament.

During its campaign, the ALP made a number of commitments in relation to Aboriginal health including:

  • $52.9 million for a First Nations Health Worker Traineeship Program to support up to 500 First Nations trainees to do Certificate III or IV accredited training as Aboriginal health workers or practitioners, with trainees to receive on the job experience and mentoring in local Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs);
  • $45 million for better renal services in the city and bush that includes up to 30 four-chair dialysis units and $15 million for small-scale water infrastructure projects that improve access to clean water, critical for dialysis and also stopping the spread of Trachoma and other diseases;
  • a renewed commitment to raise ambitions and ensure sustained progress on the National Agreement on Closing the Gap;
  • investing in capital upgrades in Aboriginal community-controlled health services;
  • improving housing in remote indigenous communities to support better health outcomes; and
  • boosting workforce incentives for rural and regional GPs to support the engagement of nurses, allied health and other health professionals and provide multidisciplinary team-based care.

The AH&MRC welcomes these and the many other commitments made by the ALP which will be critical in closing the gap in Aboriginal health outcomes.

ACCHOs across the country have faced ongoing challenges in recent years, but have continued to
deliver high-quality integrated primary health care to Aboriginal communities. Labor’s commitments to
boost funding for the sector and build its workforce demonstrate the government’s understanding of the
central role that ACCHOs play in health service delivery.

The Sector looks forward to working in genuine partnership with the new government to improve health
outcomes for Aboriginal communities.

About us

The AH&MRC is the Peak Body for Aboriginal Health in NSW. We represent the views and interests of 48 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Contact
policy@ahmrc.org.au

Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service

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Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) in New South Wales (NSW) are delivering action and leadership for their communities by providing services to their community and surrounding areas.

Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service (AWAHS) continues to work tirelessly in delivering community vaccination clinics across their footprint since March 2021 whereby they have successfully given 1878 (1603 Pfizer and 275 AstraZeneca) vaccines doses to community members. Although the vaccination rates are increasing, the Albury Local Government Area COVID-19 cases continue to rise with a significant proportion of those being amongst people aged 12-24.

‘’With the current outbreak in Albury and surrounding areas, we urge community to ensure that they are taking precautionary measures to stay COVID-19 safe. In response to the increase of COVID-19 positive cases, local exposure sites and recognised need within our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, AWAHS have implemented a pop-up testing/swabbing clinic in Glenroy as of yesterday, Monday 25th October until Friday 5th November’’, David Noonan, CEO of AWAHS.

‘’The AH&MRC are incredibly proud of its member services and the tireless work that each of them is doing. COVID vaccination and COVID testing fatigue is real, but each member service continues to persevere and provide their communities with safe and culturally appropriate care. It is important for community to remember that even whilst being fully vaccinated, there is still opportunity for the virus to spread. This is why it is important that all mob step forward and receive the vaccination as it lessens the symptoms and impact, more so then it would unvaccinated people, said Robert Skeen, CEO of AH&MRC.

About us

The AH&MRC is the Peak Body for Aboriginal Health in NSW. We represent the views and interests of 47 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Contact

Mass-vaccination of Aboriginal people in regional, rural and remote communities of Northern NSW made possible by partnership of Aboriginal Health Organisations

Posted on by Pawas Gupta

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) in New South Wales (NSW) delivering action and leadership for their communities by partnering with essential organisations to upscale the vaccine rollout in ‘hard to reach’ Aboriginal communities.

Bulgarr Ngaru Medical Aboriginal Corporation, Bullinah Aboriginal Health Service and Rekindle the Spirit have been working in partnership with NSW Police, Northern NSW Local Health District, Australian Defence Force, National Indigenous Australians Agency, Aboriginal Affairs NSW and NSW Aboriginal Lands Council. The partnership will provide a coordinated approach to the mass vaccination of 11 Aboriginal communities in rural and remote areas in Northern NSW.

The partnership approach between the ACCHOs and the Norther NSW LHD has previously been used to address low levels of Influenza Vaccination with highly successful outcomes.

“In our consultations, all of the communities have indicated that they would prefer to be vaccinated in their community rather than traveling to our clinics. We are working together to make this happen so that we can vaccinate our communities in ways that are culturally and clinically safe” said Mr Scott Monaghan, CEO of Bulgarr Ngaru Medical Aboriginal Corporation.

“The AH&MRC is proud to support this partnership by advocating for increased supply of vaccines into this area. We know our members are best placed to vaccinate Aboriginal people and this partnership approach is known to work” said Jade Hansen, AH&MRC COVID Response Team.

The partnership and the increased vaccines come at a crucial moment; COVID-19 cases have been escalating dramatically in Western and Far Western NSW with devastating consequences. The vaccine rollout is fundamental in addressing the potentially severe health implications for communities in this region.

The partnership,  in line with the principles of the new Closing the Gap National Agreement, is an approach led by the Coalition and Peaks under the leadership of CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), Mrs Patricia Turner.

About us

The AH&MRC is the Peak Body for Aboriginal Health in NSW. We represent the views and interests of 47 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Contact

AH&MRC is seeking GPs, Nurses and Aboriginal Health Practitioners to assist with the COVID19 vaccination roll out

Posted on by Pawas Gupta

The Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW (AH&MRC) is seeking health workers, to be employed on a temporary basis, in order to assist Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) to roll out the COVID-19 vaccines.

Due to the current outbreak in the Greater Sydney area, NSW is now seeing cases move into regional areas with high populations of Aboriginal people. ACCHOs have delivered safe and effective COVID-19 responses to their communities since the beginning of the pandemic. They have continued to provide strong communication around social distancing, isolation, and quarantine, and additional reactive activities in support of their community needs.

‘’ACCHOs are continuing to lead as the backbone of the NSW COVID-19 response for Aboriginal people. We are, however, concerned that this is leading to extreme COVID-19 burn out due to the ACCHOs already being significantly under-resourced’’. Executive Director of Operations at AH&MRC, Dr Peter Malouf said.

The AH&MRC is calling for health workers to assist with responding to COVID-19 and to ensure that COVID-19 does not continue to spread through Aboriginal Communities. AH&MRC is seeking health workers including clinical staff such as Aboriginal Health Practitioners (AHPs), General Practitioners (GPs),  Registered Nurses (RNs), Enrolled Nurses (ENs), and non-clinical staff particularly administration supports.

Health professionals interested in supporting the rollout can get in touch with the AH&MRC by completing the Expression of Interest form. To complete the form click here.

About us

The AH&MRC is the Peak Body for Aboriginal Health in NSW. We represent the views and interests of 47 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Contact

For more information contact squayle@ahmrc.org.au

Media Release: Eight ACCHOs fast-tracked to receive significant boost in COVID-19 vaccines

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With COVID-19 numbers growing across New South Wales (NSW) the AH&MRC has advocated for increased COVID-19 vaccines for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) to ensure the safety of Aboriginal people and communities. AH&MRC is proudly supporting 46 clinics across 29 ACCHOs in NSW to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine, with 8 clinics set to receive record numbers of vaccine doses.

Outbreaks of COVID-19 in regional NSW over the last two weeks have seen COVID-19 cases emerge in areas such as Dubbo and Walgett with close contact locations including Maitland, Mudgee, Bathurst and Orange. As the Aboriginal Health Peak Body in New South Wales, the AH&MRC has played a central role in supporting the ACCHOs to roll out the COVID-19 vaccines.

ACCHOs have delivered safe and effective COVID-19 responses to their communities for nearly 18 months now since the pandemic began. Strong communication around social distancing, isolation and quarantine have led to small numbers of Aboriginal cases of COVID-19. The current outbreak in the Greater Sydney area is now seeing cases move out into regional areas with high populations of Aboriginal people. ACCHOs that were receiving up to 120 doses of the Pfizer vaccine per week are now set to receive up to 600 doses per week in high-risk areas.

“Partnerships between the AH&MRC and the Rural Doctors Network in NSW have been fundamental in ensuring the ACCHOs are equipped with enough protective equipment and have access to the workforce to roll the vaccine out efficiently,” said Dr Peter Malouf, Executive Director of Operations at the AH&MRC.

The AH&MRC has provided vaccine readiness support to ACCHOs across NSW as well as providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Aboriginal Lands Councils in NSW, Schools, and community groups keeping all Aboriginal people safe irrespective of whether they are patients of an ACCHO.

“In order to keep our people safe, it is essential that the ACCHO sector, including the AH&MRC, have the support of the Ministry of Health and other NSW Government branches. We are a priority population and we need action. We’re seeing workforce fatigue because we haven’t been resourced to be the leaders of the vaccine rollout for Aboriginal people. We can’t continue to foot the bill for this.” said Jade Hansen, Manager of Service Performance and Quality at the AH&MRC.

About us

The AH&MRC is the Peak Body for Aboriginal Health in NSW. We represent the views and interests of 47 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Contact 

For more information or media enquiries please contact comms@ahmrc.org.au

First Nations People: Driving Their Own Futures by Partnering with Governments

Posted on by Pawas Gupta

The Coalition of Peaks, the collective voice of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector, are today proud to announce the public release of their first Implementation Plan under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. All Parties to the Agreement are responsible for publishing implementation plans that are responsive to the differing needs, priorities and circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations across Australia.

“This Implementation Plan sets out the actions the Coalition of Peaks are and will be taking to fulfil our partnership responsibilities under the National Agreement, driving deep change in how governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that Closing the Gap outcomes are dramatically improved,” said Pat Turner AM, Lead Convenor of the Coalition of Peaks.

“Our plan prioritises building understanding of the National Agreement and promoting the advantages and opportunities it offers to our people, communities, and organisations, provided we participate fully, and governments are held to account for its implementation.

“Although we speak with a collective voice, we retain our separate identities. We bring together the voices, expertise and experiences of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sectors from across the country to ensure the legitimacy of all our activities, actions and representations. We are accountable to our memberships and our communities we serve across Australia.

“The achievement of outcomes relies on the way in which the National Agreement is implemented, through sustained effort by all Parties working in genuine partnership with shared decision-making to achieve the agreed targets and outcomes over the long haul. All Parties are on a learning curve, and we look forward to strengthening and extending the partnership at national, state/territory and local levels.

“We know there are other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations that are not yet members of the Coalition of Peaks. That is why we will be talking with a broad range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, regional governance bodies, representatives and community members in each state, territory and nationally.”

The Coalition of Peaks 2021 Implementation Plan is now available on the Coalition of Peaks website.

For more information please contact Tara Maps by emailing taraapps@coalitionofpeaks.org.au or calling 0429 098 613