October 11th, 2019
Tucked away on reclaimed farmland outside Cowra, there’s something rather special going on. People who have been marginalised are finding a way back into the life they want to lead. But it’s no miracle. Here, at the Weigelli Residential Drug and Alcohol Service, understanding, not demonising, is seen as key to confronting problem drug use,...
October 11th, 2019
Driving through Gamilaraay country in the remotest reaches of northwestern NSW, the single most striking feature is the dry; vast expanses of parched land. At the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service, the walls are beginning to crack because the soil the building stands on is too dry to support its weight. On the day I visit,...
October 3rd, 2019
In late September AH&MRCs Public Health Team set out to the Kids in Care Cup in Albion Park as part of the Your Health Your Future (YHYF) campaign. The Kids in Care Cup raises awareness of the need for foster carers in NSW, in particular Aboriginal foster carers for Aboriginal kids, by bringing together children...
September 20th, 2019
In August 2019, the AH&MRC hosted the first of a series of Clinical Governance Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Workshops for our Member Services. Delivered in two phases, the overarching objective of this initiative is to empower Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) to increase revenue through improved clinical governance processes, ensuring fiscal sustainability in the...
September 19th, 2019
On the 27th and 28th of August, the Public Health Team attended the Aboriginal Chronic Conditions Network 2019 Conference in Kirribilli. The conference aimed to improve the experience and delivery of healthcare for Aboriginal people with chronic conditions in NSW. Themed “Power in Partnerships”, the conference posed the question: How do we work in partnership...
September 18th, 2019
The AH&MRC Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) is changing the way it does business. Welcome to the first public viewing of the new AH&MRC Ethics software Submittable. Submittable is a portal-based system whereby applicants can monitor and maintain files they submit to the AH&MRC HREC. The HREC is putting researchers in control of their application....
September 11th, 2019
The mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous people across the globe is an area of great focus, no more so than in Australia currently as Indigenous health is set to be a key issue in the upcoming Federal Election. The social and emotional wellbeing of Australia’s Indigenous people (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) is...
September 9th, 2019
The Your Health Your Future Ambassador Program kicked off with a high-octane bang last week as the Illawarra Hawks challenged the Australian Indigenous All Stars to their first event match against an NBL team. Both teams showed off their sportsmanship by engaging in various health promotion activities with some local primary school students. On...
September 5th, 2019
Hitnet Community Hubs provide connection and access to information for difficult-to-reach and digitally excluded populations across Australia. The Hubs enable people to connect to online services, access and share culturally appropriate health and social information. Hitnet was first utilised by the AH&MRC as a practical tool for services to use through the Head Lice project,...
August 22nd, 2019
The Closing the Gap on Indigenous Health Conference was held on the 30th and 31st of July in Brisbane. Delegates in Aboriginal health from across the country gathered to discuss the Closing the Gap Report and its failures to address health inequity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The format of the conference was collaborative with...
August 8th, 2019
To promote World No Tobacco Day 2019, AH&MRC and members launched their first-ever Twitter Festival in collaboration with Croakey. The World No Tobacco Day 2019 Twitter Festival was used as a springboard to discuss important issues in the Aboriginal health space linked to smoking. The hashtags #YourHealthYourFuture and #CommunityControl were used to connect conversations between...