The AH&MRC Leadership and Innovation workshop was held following the Indigenous Health Summit last week where we worked through a natural disaster scenario of heatwave and bushfire – both of which have been experienced in NSW this summer. During discussions e heard stories of how ACCHS’s have stepped up to support their communities through NSW floods and fires when other agencies were nowhere to be seen and stories demonstrating the ACCHS’s leadership in the COVID 19 pandemic response which was vital to reducing the impact of the virus on Indigenous communities.
Reflection on these events highlights the importance of leadership, governance, and planning when it comes to managing emergencies and natural disasters. The AH&MRC Emergency Resources have been developed to assist with planning for when (not if) the next emergency or natural disaster occurs. These resources are currently printable from our website but as we have received requests by ACCHS’s for hard copies, we are revising the documents to produce a printed version which we will distribute to member services in coming weeks.
The AH&MRC Public Health team are also looking out for EOI to participate in the AH&MRC Emergency Response committee and would love to hear from you if you would like to be involved.
Please reach out to Publichealth@ahmrc.org.au with any questions.
