The South Australian Academic Health Science & Translation Centre

Clinical care and screening for diabetes in the Point Pearce Community

The Aboriginal Diabetes Study Team (left to right) Rowena Young, Jose Estevez, Charmaine Hull, Tomer Shemesh, Dayna Reweti and Adrian Coulthard

During June and July The Aboriginal Diabetes Study travelled to Point Pearce, on the Yorke Peninsula. Over their time spent in this community the team worked and integrated with existing health services to identify needs and provide clinical care and screening for diabetes-related complications. As a result 60 people were assessed and had received their health results. The team will now focus on the next community, Raukkan, in the Murray Mallee region.

If you would like to be involved in the study please contact our team on

Phone (08) 8128 4244

or Visit our website www.aboriginaldiabetes.com

The Development of the South Australian Aboriginal Diabetes Strategy

Wardliparingga has developed the South Australian Aboriginal Diabetes Strategy over the last 14 months. On 30 June 2016, the Strategy was submitted to SA Health who funded the work. This comprehensive Strategy outlines the health system responses needed for a coordinated approach that involves all providers of diabetes prevention and management services in SA. It has six high-level goals, 23 recommendations (with suggested pathways to achieve them) and nine enablers. The six goals are aligned with the National Diabetes Strategy and the pathways to achieve these goals have been informed by scientific and cultural evidence and knowledge, the SA Aboriginal community, and service providers.

The goals are as follows:

GOAL 1: Prevent diabetes in the Aboriginal population with a focus on diabetes in pregnancy.
GOAL 2: Detect diabetes early by increasing the number of Aboriginal people receiving Well Health Checks and using primary health care services for maintaining their health.
GOAL 3: Improve the clinical and lifestyle management of diabetes so that Aboriginal people with diabetes can live quality lives and have less chance of developing complications.
GOAL 4: Improve the early detection and management of diabetes in pregnancy and gestational diabetes by having state-wide standard model of care.
GOAL 5: Improve prevention and management of diabetes for priority groups within the Aboriginal community, particularly children and adolescents, the homeless, prisoners, those with a disability, those on a mental health plan and those who are frequently hospitalised. Different healthcare responses will need to be considered for people living in remote areas and the diversity of the Aboriginal population will require innovative and flexible approaches to preventing diabetes in our population.
GOAL 6: Strengthen research, data usage and population health monitoring to progress diabetes research with the Aboriginal community for a better understanding of the drivers of the diabetes epidemic and why the outcomes of diabetes in the Aboriginal community in terms of premature ill-health and mortality are much worth than those in the non-Aboriginal community.

Wardliparingga would like to acknowledge that this Strategy could not have been developed without the input of the many and varied people and organisations, in particular we thank:
• The Aboriginal community members and all service providers in South Australia that participated in forums or meetings.
• The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and State Government Primary Care Services that participated in the collection of evidence that informed this Strategy.
• The commitment of the Diabetes Steering Committee members who strategically guided the development of the Strategy.

A link to a copy of the Strategy will be made available in the next newsletter.

The South Australian Aboriginal Health Research Network

Wardliparingga Aboriginal health student event

Screening for Rheumatic Heart Disease in primary school aged children in the APY Lands

(Left to right) SACRHD 'Heart Team' vehicle whilst working in the APY lands and one of our sonographers screening a small child in the community of Mimili

The SACRHD ‘heart team’ spent 2 weeks during the month of June screening for rheumatic heart disease across the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands). Using portable heart ultrasound machines 292 school children were seen, at 8 community schools from Pipalyatjara to Iwantja. Working closely with the Education Department and Nganampa Health Council, children identified with a heart condition will be referred to Nganampa Health and children found to have RHD will be referred to Nganampa Health and the SA RHD Control Program.

For more information on the SACRHD project please visit https://www.sahmri.com/our-research/themes/aboriginal-health/research/list/sa-childhood-rheumatic-heart-disease-screening-project-sacrhd

CREATE News

Best Practice Case Studies

Are you proud of what your ACCHO is achieving and would like to share this with others in the sector?

We are currently inviting ACCHOs that believe their work exemplifies best practice care in any of the priority domains, to participate in a case study. Each Case Study Site will be provided with a tailored report, evidence briefs and information brochures that could be used to advocate for and promote their work more broadly.

If you think your ACCHO may be interested in participating, please email: infocreate@sahmri.com

Master Classes

Are you interested in knowing how to evaluate any of your programs?
Following on from the success of our first two Master Classes – Understanding and Undertaking Research, we are proud to announce the addition of a new Evaluations Master Class. This new Master Class focuses on using evaluation as a tool for assessing and then improving healthcare services and programs. Participants in the Evaluation Master Class will gain a basic understanding of:

• benefits that arise from and pitfalls to avoid while evaluating healthcare services and programs;
• what to consider when selecting an evaluation design;
• how to develop an evaluation plan; and
• how to undertake an evaluation and ensure that the findings are used.

Are you currently supporting the needs of older Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples?

There is a clear need for evidence that informs both policy and practice given the Aged Care Reform Package announced in 2012. We are working closely with Aboriginal community controlled aged care services to identify the opportunities that arise from these reforms.

If you are interested in talking to us more about this work, please contact infocreate@sahmri.com .

Visitors to Wardliparingga

On the 28th of July Wardliparingga had a very special guest Hon Kyam Mayer visit the unit and team. Project leaders had a chance to share their research work and efforts here at SAHMRI.
Rosemary Wanganeen presented a talk in July around her work on grief and loss to the Wardliparingga unit.

SAHMRI's first NAIDOC event

The South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute and The Wardliparingga Aboriginal Health Research Unit held the very first SAHMRI NAIDOC Event during the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee week. Songlines: The living narrative of our nation, was this year's theme. We had 140 people gather to celebrate and commemorate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples achievements and contribution to society, and Wardliparingga stafff spoke of our research work and the importance of history and culture.

The Aboriginal Cardiovascular Omega 3 Trial (AC Omega 3 Trial) Update

The AC Omega 3 trial recently enrolled it's 65th participant, which is a significant achievement for the trial.

The most recent site to join the trial is The Queen Elizabeth Hospital with an enthusiastic start. Flinders Medical Centre recruitment will commence soon. Recently the trial received approval from Central Australian Human Research Ethics Committee to extend recruitment to Alice Springs Hospital.

REGIONAL RECRUITMENT
AC Omega 3 Trial aims to recruit 220 participants across South Australia. In an effort to boost the recruitment and further target ‘at-risk’ populations, plans are in the works to visit regional areas such as Port Augusta, Ceduna, Port Lincoln, the Riverland and Murray Bridge regions.

The AC Omega 3 Trial is an NHMRC funded Randomised Controlled Trial, led by Professor Alex Brown, at SAHMRI. It has been designed to test the effectiveness of high dose Omega 3 (fish oil) supplementation in the Aboriginal population with established Coronary Artery Disease. This trial is important because heart disease is the single biggest cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Recent studies suggest that Omega 3 fats may help prevent heart attacks in people who already have coronary artery disease.

CAN YOU HELP?
The AC Omega 3 Trial needs the following people for this important research:
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander aged over 18 years;
• Medically diagnosed history of coronary artery disease.

For more information please contact Shereen Rankine on 0418 672 841

When cancer crashes into a young person's world and shatters everything...

Who helps them cope?
How do they understand this experience?
Where do they get support?

If you are Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander;
Have experience of cancer, have a brother, sister, parent, guardian or another close family member (someone you have lived with) who has had cancer;
Are young and would have been under 25 years old when first affected by cancer.

The CanDAD team are inviting you to help make a difference and help discover the needs and gaps in support for young Aboriginal people affected by cancer by joining the Cancer Data and Aboriginal Disparities (CanDAD) Project's Youth Advisory Committee.

If you are interested in being involved please contact:

Jasmine Micklem at SAHMRI on (08) 8128 4243 or
Email jasmine.micklem@sahmri.com

Improving communication in hospital

The "Communicate Project"has just completed.

The goal was to better understand the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cardiac patients within the hospital specifically in relation to communication and to identify improvements to the hospital journey from a patient, family and health professional perspective.

The project made recommendations to the Heart Foundation (HF) regarding strategies to:

Enhance communication across the in-hospital patient journey; and
Improve delivery of evidence based care through the hospital journey.

Update & Where to Now:

After synthesizing the research and developing a report on the findings and recommendations, the project team have been reporting back to sites and stake holders for their approval and endorsement. Key findings and recommendations for the Heart Foundation(HF) have been developed and three forums have been planned to progress the work with HF staff and key stake holders.

Overview of Key Findings:

When considering the creation of a platform for successful communication that would lead to improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander patients who have had a cardiac in-patient experience, the following factors have been prioritised through the synthesis of the research:

Building relationships with patients and family;
Involving family members in planning and decision making;
Creating space for two way clinical and cultural conversations;
Ensuring access to quality resources, both people and tools;
Linking to primary health care providers, especially for remote and regional patients;
Building appropriate mainstream and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce capacity;
Building hospital systems to support best practice;
Recognising that difficulties arise with communication due the time limited nature of heart emergencies during retrieval, emergency department and the ward;
Understanding the importance of communication regarding plans for discharge and follow-up;
Understanding the context in which all communication activities are undertaken.

For more information or for a copy of the report please contact: wendy.keech@sahmri.com

Staff announcements

Staff achievements

Harold Stewart recieved the 2016 ACHSA Health Awards for his Outstanding Leadership/ Excellence in the South Australian community. Harold works across the CanDAD project and is Wardliparingga's senior cultural advisor. (pictured on the left)
Knowledge Translation and Exchange Manager Kim Morey has completed her Masters in Public Health.
Anna Dowling was awarded the MAX Indigenous Youth Art Award 2016. Anna was one of twenty finalists of the MAX National Indigenous Art Competition.

Wardliparingga are proud to recognise and share their achievements.

Staff News

Dr Karen Hawke is one of 10 people selected to join a programme at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm, Sweden.The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is an agency of the European Union, with the mission to identify, assess and communicate current and emerging threats to human health posed by infectious diseases.

New and returned staff

Dr Sana Ishaque has joined SAHMRI to assist in work around a framework for considering social determinants of health and developing a quality of life tool suitable for Aboriginal people.
Janet Stajic has returned after a 12 month secondment, rejoing the CanDaD project.
Carmen Dadleh has joined the Infections and Immunity team to develop a plan for STI's and blood borne viruses in Aboriginal communities, Talei Stewart has joined James Ward's team as a student and Ruthy Mclver and Belinda Hangel have also joined James Ward to implement his research program.
Dr Robin Field has joined The Aboriginal Diabetes Study to assist with clinical work.
Tania Axleby-Blake has taken a role with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, based in Wardliparingga.

Staff farewelled

Wardliparinnga have said farewell to several staff members over the last 3 months:

John Gray who had been here with Wardliparingga since the early days, John had made many contributions to Wardliparingga's research efforts particularly for the Landscape project.
Zoe Luz and Francis Eltridge, both worked along side Dr Odette Gibson on the Diabetes Strategy.

Student Opportunities, Grants and Scholarships

Commonwealth Scholarships

The Commonwealth Scholarships Program is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Education and Training.
It aims to assist Indigenous students experiencing financial need, particularly those from remote and regional areas. Commonwealth Scholarships are available through all Australian universities

For more information visit unisa.edu.au/scholarship/commonwealth/default.asp

The Aspiration Initiative

The Aspiration Initiative (TAI) is a joint initiative of the Aurora Education Foundation, the Charlie Perkins Scholarship Trust, Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation and the University of Canberra.

For more Info visit http://theaspirationinitiative.com.au/