Issue 13, February 2011

Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of CEO Communiqué for 2011.

I hope everyone had a refreshing break over Christmas and are ready for the busy months ahead. Our heartfelt thoughts were with the people of Queensland during the floods.

Some of our fellow Aboriginal community controlled health and medical services were flooded, and are trying to continue with the business of caring for their clients and communities. NACCHO Chairperson Justin Mohamed has kept us all up to date on their progress.

In the past few weeks, we have heard of more changes to the National Health Reform from our Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and await the flow-on affects to the Medicare Locals and what this means for the Aboriginal community controlled health sector. The NACCHO Board met in Adelaide on 16 and 17 February 2011 to discuss this further and to develop a plan of action for our sector.

Ceduna/Koonibba Health Service, Pika Wiya Health Service and Nunyara Wellbeing Centre are nearing the transition date of 1 July 2011 to Aboriginal community control. AHCSA has been assisting with the process to support our members in areas such as accreditation, communicare, IT and the overall experiences of the AHCSA transition from state government to a non-government organisation.

The new AHCSA Executive Council met for the first time on Tuesday 15 February with our first full Council of Members meeting scheduled for 3 and 4 May in Adelaide.

The first of our regular meetings for the year with Minister John Hill and Acting Chief Executive David Swan was held on 21 February. I attended with AHCSA Public Health Medical Officer David Scrimgeour. One of the discussion items was the progress of the State’s Close the Gap work.

AHCSA continues to expand with new programs being offered and new staff being appointed. We welcome Jo Newham to the position of Audit and Best Practice for Chronic Disease Project Coordinator; Shane Mohor to the position of Manager, Education and Training Team and Alicia Nowak to the position of Connecting Mum’s and Babies Project Officer. Michele Robinson has moved to the COAG Workforce Liaison position and we will be recruiting to backfill the Good Medicines Better Health position as we enter into the next phase of this program with NACCHO and NPS.

Sadly, we have farewelled Jacqui and Richard Nelson, who have decided to relocate to Queensland. Richard has been a huge support to the organisation as the Deputy CEO supporting both myself and the Council. He will be sorely missed by everyone. Of course we are hopeful that he will return as he has done before. The Council, staff and members wish them both the best for the future.

Kind regards

Mary Buckskin
Chief Executive Officer

Hills Mallee Southern Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service

Eric Milera has been meeting with key partners and community organisations to piece together information from the 2009 consultancy report on the Hills Mallee Southern OATISH region. He is also in the process of establishing an overarching Coordination Group and a Community Advisory Group to make sure everyone is involved in the process and journey of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS).

This is quite an exciting time which needs to be taken at a slower pace than expected to ensure that it is a precise process without any pieces getting lost on the way. There are many years of experience in AHCSA’s membership to assist Eric with this process and he has taken the opportunity to meet with CEOs of the ACCHSs and to learn from the current transition process with Ceduna/Koonibba, Pika Wiya and Nunyara Wellbeing Centre. There will be regular updates about this process in AHCSA News and CEO Communiqué.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Registered Training Organisation National Network

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Registered Training Organisation National Network (ATSIHRTONN) held a workshop on 16 and 17 February in Adelaide to discuss the evaluation of ATSIHRTONN and to determine the next funding round and future directions after 30 June 2011.

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COAG Workforce Liaison

Michele Robinson has moved into the role of COAG Workforce Liaison Officer. This position is responsible for statewide leadership and coordination to support member organisations implement the range of Closing the Gap Chronic Disease measures relevant to the Aboriginal community controlled health sector. In particular, the Workforce Liaison Officer will work closely with the General Practice SA Divisional Network. The position will play a key role in establishing and maintaining an effective support network for Aboriginal Outreach Workers.

Michele is currently working in partnership with the Department of Health and Ageing (DHA), SA Health, the South Australian Aboriginal Health Partnership (SAAHP) and the Rural Doctors Workforce Agency (RDWA) to hold a statewide conference in June. The aim of the conference is to build partnerships and provide information to the health sector on COAG programs.

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Sexually Transmitted Infections Screening Program

The Sexual Health Team are preparing to support ACCHSs in the delivery and capturing of cases for the 2011 Sexually Transmitted Infections Screening Program. The screening will take place from 11 April to 20 May. The 2010 Comprehensive Screening Report is ready for dissemination and identifies individual achievements for each health service, how they achieved particular goals for the period, and what is needed for improvement – continuous quality improvement. If you would like a copy of the report, email Clinton Dadleh clinton.dadleh@ahcsa.org.au

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Chronic Condition Management Strategies in Aboriginal Communities

In December 2010, AHCSA and the Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service (PLAHS) launched a public health promotion poster with the aim of attracting more chronic condition clients to engage in care plans with clinic staff and become partners in their health management. The posters were developed with PLAHS staff and clients along with Bachelor of Health Science Interns with AHCSA, Patricia Mitiel Gahanao and Penny Van Pelt.

The poster tells stories about how care plans, developed in partnership with PLAHS staff, are helping clients to self manage their chronic conditions, set goals and even improve their long term health outcomes. The launch for clients was held at the annual Diabetes Camp and attracted positive interest about community diabetes initiatives from Radio ABC which broadcasted a segment across the state and placed an information page on their website. To listen to the broadcasts visit http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2010/12/10/3090310.htm?site=eyre and
http://www.abc.net.au/news/audio/2010/12/10/3089898.htm

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Education and Training

The Education and Training Team are experiencing increased demand due to the various training components of the COAG initiatives both in the government and Aboriginal community controlled health sectors. In 2011, over 200 students enrolled in training courses ranging from Primary Health Care to Indigenous Research Capacity Building. Recruitment is underway for another Clinical Educator and a Coordinator for the Good Medicines Better Health Project. If you would like further information on any of the training and courses, email Shane Mohor shane.mohor@ahcsa.org.au

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Connecting Mums and Babies Project

Alicia Nowak has started with AHCSA to review and refine the Connecting Mums and Babies training resource. The resource was developed in 2006 by staff and members of the Women’s Advocacy Committee for the Anangu Bibi Program and members of the Prenatal and Infant Mental Health In the Community (PIMHIC) Project Aboriginal Reference Group.

The training program is for Aboriginal Health Workers, RNs, GPs, mental health workers and community health - maternal child health, child protection, NGOs, child development services and child & adolescent mental health services. It will assess and manage social and emotional wellbeing issues for Aboriginal mothers and infants.

A pilot of the program was held at Pika Wiya Aboriginal Health Service in South Australia and also in health services in the Northern Territory. Aboriginal trainers/health workers are co-facilitators of the program. A Train the Trainer program was also developed with South Australia now having 12 trainers and Western Australia having a further 12 trainers.

Some other roles this position will be undertaking are:

• Establish and lead a reference/advisory group with TOR for the duration of the review.
• Engage artists, graphic designers to assist with pictorials and layout of training material.
• Refine material with new training activities and information to ensure engagement of the target audience.
• Develop consumer information resources in conjunction with a reference/advisory group to complement the training material.
• Engage community groups representing urban, rural and remote members for focus groups and cultural review.

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AHCSA News

The next edition of AHCSA News will be out in early March. If you would like to be added to the distribution list, please call Amanda Mitchell on (08) 8273 7200.

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Disclaimer

CEO Communiqué is copyright to the Aboriginal Health Council of SA Inc. (AHCSA). No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the Chief Executive Officer of AHCSA. Whilst every care is taken to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is accurate, errors and omissions may occur. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, we apologise for any inconvenience caused and ask that you click the unsubscribe link in the main menu.

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