Our People to Live Stronger & Longer

Author: Ashleigh Brissett

Expressions of Interest for the NSW Health Aboriginal Heart Health Grants are now open

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

The NSW Health Office for Health and Medical Research is pleased to announce that Expressions of Interest for the Aboriginal Heart Health Grants are now open.  

This is a targeted call to fund high impact Aboriginal-led research that will improve the cardiovascular health of Aboriginal peoples in NSW.

All grants must be led by an Aboriginal Chief Investigator and applications are encouraged from Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, Aboriginal Medical Services, Aboriginal peak bodies, as well as local health districts, specialty health networks, other public health organisations, universities, medical research institutes and not-for-profit organisations.

An information webinar will be held on 16 October to support applications. Register here

Learn more about available grants, how to apply and register for the webinar.

Expressions of Interest close 13 December at 5pm AEDT.

We would greatly appreciate your support in sharing this opportunity with your networks.

Illawarra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business Expo

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

The second annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business Expo offers a fantastic opportunity for attendees to explore approximately 50 stalls showcasing local businesses across a variety of industries, including design, photography, education, construction, maintenance, policy, research, arts, crafts, and more.

Visitors will also have the chance to purchase unique, locally produced gifts, clothing, books, and educational resources.

When: 17 October 2024 11:00 am – 01:00 pm
Where: Wollongong Town Hall. Cnr Kembla & Crown Sts

Businesses attending

Food and hospitality

IT

Marketing, media and graphic design

BreastScreen NSW mobile vans on tour

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

BreastScreen NSW mobile vans are visiting over 200 locations across NSW, bringing this important service to women in their communities. 🚌

Find out when a van is coming your way – visit the link here or call 13 20 50.

View the breast screening for Aboriginal women factsheet.

Make time to stay healthy poster.

Public Consultation: Updated Australian ACS Guideline Draft

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

Public consultation for the updated draft of the Australian clinical guideline for diagnosing and managing acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is now open!

 The National Heart Foundation of Australia and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand invite you to provide your feedback on the updated draft of the Australian clinical guideline for diagnosing and managing acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for health professionals on screening, preventing, diagnosing, and managing ACS.

Public consultation is an important part of the guideline development process and can improve a guideline’s quality, legitimacy and its acceptability to end users and the public. To ensure the guideline is of the highest quality, and meets the needs of both health professionals and people with ACS, we encourage health organisations, health professionals, and the broader community to provide feedback.

Click here to access the guideline and provide feedback.

The guideline public consultation period will be open from Friday 27 September 2024 to Monday 28 October 2024. There will be no extensions beyond this timeframe.

If you have any technical difficulties providing your feedback, please contact ACSpublicconsultation@heartfoundation.org.au (please note that we will not be responding to any feedback on the draft guideline through this email).

New Interactive Healthy Homes Factsheets

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet has produced a suite of new interactive resources for Environmental Health Practitioners and clinicians to use with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and clients.

The My healthy home: home health factsheet series aims to provide simple, clear actions to take in each room of the home to prevent illness and the spread of disease. The factsheets were developed in consultation with Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services and with guidance from the Expert Reference Panel for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Environmental Health (ERPATSIEH).

The factsheets take a strengths-based approach by outlining some of the issues in the home environment that can affect health and providing practical advice to prevent illness. They use plain language and icons for accessibility and can be downloaded as separate room-based factsheets, or all together as a ‘workbook’, which also includes some simple instructions for making cleaning products at home.

The interactive factsheet PDFs can be used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on their computers or printed out and stuck on the fridge for easy access to information that will help users keep their homes and their families healthy. Users can fill out the details of their local environmental health services on the back of each factsheet, and they are encouraged to contact these services for a variety of home health issues listed on the back page of each factsheet.

Click here to view the My healthy home: home health factsheet series.

Call to action: sign the petition to build a healthier future for rural Australia

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

The National Rural Health Alliance has submitted a petition to the Australian Parliament calling for a 10-year National Rural Health Strategy including a schedule to the next National Health Reform Agreement embedding rural and remote policy and funded priorities for action.

Nearly 30 percent of Australians living and working outside of cities are being denied the basic human right to health and are dying younger than their urban counterparts. Rural Australians bring in two-thirds of Australia’s export earnings, 50 per cent of tourism income and produce over 90 per cent of Australia’s food. Yet, each year governments spend $848 less on the health of a person living rurally than someone who lives in the city.

The Alliance underscores that rural health has been neglected in policy, budgets and priority settings for too long and that Commonwealth and State investments are neither coordinated nor sustained.

We call on all Australians to help build a healthier future for rural Australia by signing the petition.

Seeking Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector experiences for research into current use of the Blue Book

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett
NSW Health are developing a digital version of the child personal health record known as the Blue Book, which will allow families who are caring for children aged 0-5 years to use the Blue Book on a computer or mobile device. On behalf of NSW Health, the Design Team at eHealth NSW are undertaking research with health care providers, parents and carers to find out more about how and when they use (and don’t use) the Blue Book, and how a digital option might work for them. The research will involve interviews and workshops with a range of stakeholders.
They will use this information to develop a document that describes the current use and pain points for the Blue Book, and the potential value of a digital solution. The project team will also use the information to guide future engagements as they move into the design and configuration stage of the project.
What we are asking from you:
We are particularly looking to fill gaps in previous research and are seeking your assistance to identify an ACCHO clinicians who works with the families of children aged 0-5 years, to participate in a one hour virtual interview at a mutually convenient time.

Find out more details about what is involved.

Work shouldn’t hurt: new resources to prevent strains and sprains

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

SafeWork NSW has a new webinar series to help NSW businesses prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), the most common work-related injuries and illnesses.

Also known as sprains and strains, MSDs make up more than half of all serious workers’ compensation claims in NSW.  Every day 63 workers suffer a serious MSD.

Watch the three-part webinar series to learn more about preventing musculoskeletal disorders in your workplace.

Webinar 1: Understanding musculoskeletal disorders

In this webinar we cover the fundamentals of musculoskeletal disorders.

You’ll learn about:

  • what MSDs are
  • common causes and the main factors leading to MSDs
  • the impact of MSDs on workers and businesses.

Watch the Understanding musculoskeletal disorders webinar

Webinar 2: Legal duties to consider when managing musculoskeletal disorder risks

In this webinar we cover the work health and safety laws to consider when managing the risk of MSDs in the workplace.

You’ll learn about:

  • work health and safety law to manage the risk of MSDs
  • legal obligations for employers and workers.

Watch the Legal duties to consider when managing musculoskeletal disorder risks webinar

Webinar 3: Managing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders

In this webinar we cover how to manage MSD risks in the workplace using a systematic approach, including the risk management process.

You’ll learn about:

  • how to manage the risk of MSDs in your workplace
  • practical ways to identify and control MSD risks.

Watch the Managing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders webinar

Upcoming Webinars – Navigating Mpox and Doxy-PEP- RACGP Webinar  

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

Navigating Mpox and Doxy-PEP- RACGP Webinar   

Date: Monday 30 September  
Time: 7:30- 8:30PM AEST   

As Mpox cases continue to increase, the RACGP is holding a webinar on Navigating Mpox and Doxy-PEP in your practice. This session will cover the current epidemiology, clinical management and the latest on vaccination recommendations, post-exposure preventive measures and contact tracing.   

It will also explore the role of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) in reducing bacterial sexual health infections (STIs) and its implications for antimicrobial resistance.   

This one-hour webinar is open to all ACCHO staff who want to stay informed on Mpox and learn effective strategies for managing STIs in their practice.    

To register or find out more, please click here.   

 Eye Health 2024 Webinar  

Date: Wednesday 9th October
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm

NACCHOs Maternal and Child Health team are supporting the Eye Health and Children Webinar.

QUT experts Dr. Shelley Hopkins, Optometrist and Dr. Ann Webber, Clinical Educator – Paediatric Optometrist will look at:  

  • Vision tests for children in the maternal child health and 715 health checks  
  • Practical tips for performing these tests on infants and young children  
  • An overview of various school vision screening programs  

Register for the event here .

Helping Mob Live Healthy and Prevent Cancer- NSW Health Webinar  

Date: Tuesday 22 October  
Time: 12:00PM – 1:00PM  AEST   

The Cancer Institute NSW is holding a practical Lunch & Learn session on using the Helping Mob Live Healthy and Prevent Cancer Toolkit, specially designed for people working in Aboriginal health.    

This session will help build confidence and expertise to better educate our communities about:   

  • Cancer screening programs  
  • Healthy living   
  • Quitting smoking   
  • Accessing support services   

This one-hour webinar is open to all ACCHO staff who are interested in learning how to make healthy living and cancer prevention a part of our everyday conversations with our communities.    

To register or find out more about the webinar, click here.  

A hard copy printed pack of Toolkit resources is available as part of registration!  

 

A Look Back at Winter Immunisation Efforts 2024

Posted on by Ashleigh Brissett

As the winter season ends, it is time to reflect on the remarkable efforts of our member services in providing immunisations to build the community’s immunity for winter in 2024. We hope that each of you successfully implemented initiatives that worked well in your communities. 

This year, we were able to assist 18 member services providing grant funding to enhance their immunisation programs. We aim to continually seek ongoing opportunities to support your organisations and to explore how we can further assist your efforts.  

According to NCIRS reports, there have been noticeable and consistent improvements in vaccination uptake among Aboriginal communities across all age groups. However, the reported data often fails to capture the tremendous contributions that ACCHS continues to make for our communities. 

Whether or not you received a specific grant, we would love to hear about the immunisation activities and the innovative strategies that worked best in your area. We are also keen to hear about the barriers you encountered, and suggestions on how AH&MRC can provide support.  

If you like to share your story, please email us at publichealth@ahmrc.org.au. Alternatively, you can complete the short survey through the link below:  

Immunisation Activities – 2024 Winter Season  

The survey was created for grant recipients however we are happy for ACCHS to complete the survey to share your experience and feedback any suggestions as to how we may be able to help your ongoing immunisation efforts.