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CheckIN
Issue 197 | 25 May 2023
Hi all,
I hope this email finds you well and that you're ready for another insightful edition of CheckIN.
First and foremost, I'm delighted to announce that CheckUP has launched a brand new website! With a modern design and enhanced functionality, our website aims to provide you with a seamless browsing experience, making it easier than ever to access the information and resources you need. We encourage you to explore the site at www.checkup.org.au and provide us with any feedback or suggestions you may have. Your input is invaluable as we continue to improve and refine our digital presence.
Additionally, I'd like to draw your attention to National Reconciliation Week, which commences on Saturday 27 May. The theme for 2023, Be a Voice for Generations, encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation. As part of our commitment to reconciliation, CheckUP are hosting a Queensland Primary Health Care Network (QPHCN) event on Thursday 1 June. We believe this event will provide a platform for our stakeholders to learn about reconciliation and contribute to this essential process. Registrations are still open, so be sure to secure your spot today!
In line with our dedication to cultural responsiveness, I'm excited to share with you that we are now providing our CheckUP staff, as well as individuals and organisations contracted to deliver CheckUP Outreach services, with free access to the Cultural Responsiveness Training program offered by Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA). The training package is now available on our Learning Management System. We will be in touch with our
Organisational Members soon with more details on how you can access this training and promote it to your staff. With these courses, we aim to equip our team and partner organisations with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide culturally sensitive and inclusive healthcare services. I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to gain practical knowledge and skills on how to build cultural safety, how to transform and influence culturally responsive care and services practically, and how to lead culturally safe and accessible services.
Keep reading for more updates and industry insights. Together, we can create healthier communities by shaping a future where equitable and accessible healthcare becomes a reality for all!
Best wishes,
Ann Maree Liddy
Chief Executive Officer
CheckUP
Register now for our QPHCN event on reconciliation
Join CheckUP during National Reconciliation Week for a Queensland Primary Health Care Network (QPHCN) event exploring how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
When: Thursday 1 June 2023 | 10am - 12pm
Location: Online or in-person at the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) training rooms, Level 1/36 Russell Street, South Brisbane
Tickets: Members and Providers - Free!; Non-members General Admission (face-to-face) - $50; Non-members Virtual Attendance - $20
The event will commence with a didgeridoo performance from the Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dance Company (pictured below), which is sure to be a moving and memorable experience.
Leading the event will be Kieran Chilcott, CEO at Kalwun Development Corporation Limited and CheckUP Board Director. Kieran will facilitate a Q&A session with Lynette Anderson, our dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lead. Additionally, we are excited to have Edward Mosby, a respected psychologist and founder of Wakai Waian Healing, set to join us. Further enriching the event will be a panel discussion featuring members of the CheckUP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, Rona Scherer and Rhonda Skibasaki. Kieran, who is the Committee's Chair, will lead the discussion, providing an opportunity for diverse perspectives to be shared.
We are also delighted to have representatives from the Queensland Alliance for Mental Health (QAMH) and Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN joining us to discuss the important work their organisations are undertaking to foster reconciliation.
REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL. CLICK HERE TO SECURE YOUR SPOT NOW VIA EVENTBRITE.
Indigenous Eye Health Manager
Do you have experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and a passion for improving eye health outcomes? CheckUP is seeking an Indigenous Eye Health Manager to coordinate and oversee programs and services aimed at improving eye health outcomes within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This is an identified position. To perform this role, it is essential that the person who holds the position be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.
Health Gateway Program: New schools and expos galore
We are pleased to share that Elanora State High School, Yeppoon State High School and Cairns State High School have joined the Gateway to Industry Schools Program - Health.
CheckUP staff have attended numerous career events and expos over the past month, promoting the diverse range of careers in the health industry. This includes the Trinity College Careers Expo, McAuley College Year 9 Careers Day, Canterbury College World Ready Futures Expo, Bundamba State Secondary College Fest, Faith Lutheran College Careers Expo, Australian Christian College - Moreton Career Expo, Pathways to Emerging Careers Breakfast at Maroochydore.
Don't forget to enter CheckUP's photo competition
Entries are closing soon for CheckUP's Annual Photo Competition, so make sure to submit your snaps soon! We are looking for photos that capture the unique landscapes, communities, and people of Queensland and the Northern Territory.
By submitting photos to the competition, amateur and professional photographers have the chance to win prizes and have their images featured in our annual IMPACT magazine. Entries close on Friday 9 June 2023.
Youth Industry Partnerships for Education and Employment
The Youth Industry Partnerships for Education and Employment project (YIPEE) aims to foster effective school-to-work transitions for schools with a significant proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Far North Queensland. Leading the implementation of the YIPEE project is Donna Glover, CheckUP’s School to Industry Transition Officer.
Pictured are photos Donna recently took of students from Djarragun College who engaged in work experience at Gurriny Yealamucka Health, located in the Yarrabah Community.
Become a Queensland Mental Health Week sponsor
As we prepare for this year’s QMHW, we are excited to invite you to partner with us in making this initiative a success. Through sponsorship, your organisation can help us increase mental health awareness, bolster belonging and provide opportunities for connection in communities right across Queensland.
The 2023 QMHW Sponsorship Prospectus provides an overview of the sponsorship opportunities available for this year.
QMHW grants close tomorrow
To assist communities in getting their QMHW ideas up and running there are one-off grants of up to $3000 available through the Queensland Mental Health Week Community Events Grant Program. Applications for this program, funded by the Queensland Government through the Queensland Mental Health Commission and administered by CheckUP, close on Friday 26 May at 5pm sharp.
Skin Cancer Prevention Queensland Symposium
Thank you to Skin Cancer Prevention Queensland for having us present at their annual Symposium last week! We shared insights on our new Skin Cancer Early Detection pilot service. CheckUP will be delivering skin cancer early detection outreach services across five priority HHS regions as part of the Queensland Government’s new Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection initiative.
Our team learned a lot about some fantastic projects and research underway in this space at the Symposium and they appreciated the opportunity to connect with so many advocates for skin cancer prevention, including Dr Jeremy Hudson and Cathie Gillan (pictured with CheckUP’s Program Officer – Skin Cancer Early Detection, Mary-Anne Quilter).
Access for All training course
Access for All is a free online course that aims to improve disability awareness among health providers and increase understanding about the barriers people with disability experience when accessing health care. The project is funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency. You can learn more about this training, the associated app, and view a wide range of related resources on the CheckUP website.
National Palliative Care Week
National Palliative Care Week (NPCW), held from Sunday 21 May to Saturday 27 May, is Australia’s largest annual initiative to raise awareness about palliative care, increase understanding of its services, and recognise the palliative care workforce. In 2023, NPCW seeks to inspire conversations about ‘Matters of life and death’.
Review of Auslan service use in primary care
Australian Healthcare Associates, on behalf of the Department of Health and Aged Care, is exploring how Auslan interpreting services are arranged and delivered in primary care settings and are seeking primary care health professionals to share their perspectives in a short survey that closes on Friday 30 June.
Building workforce resilience
The Community Services Industry Alliance (CSIA) are hosting a Workforce Innovation Network online event on Thursday 8 June with CSIA CEO Cheryl Schmidt and other guest speakers. A resilient workforce can play a role in identifying opportunities for growth and innovation even when faced with difficult circumstances. Register to hear from experts exploring innovative practices as they share real-world stories of workforce resilience in action.
Changes to DVA's website for providers
The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) dedicated URL for health providers gives you easy access to the information you need when supporting veteran patients, however if you visit the DVA website home page, you’ll notice the ‘For Providers’ tab has moved, it now sits under the ‘Get Support’ tab.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
North and West Remote Health
NWRH started as a small, incorporated association in 1993 and has since grown into a vibrant not-for-profit organisation servicing over 50 communities throughout rural, regional and remote Queensland. Their purpose is to support healthier people—physically, socially and emotionally. They deliver culturally competent services and their hardworking team members are passionate about making a difference. They operate throughout Townsville, Mount Isa, Longreach, Normanton, Doomadgee, Cloncurry, Mornington Island and surrounds.
Membership renewals
Currently, CheckUP is actively engaged in the renewal process for our valued Organisational Members, with invoicing being conducted during this month.
Looking ahead to the 2023-2024 financial year, we have additional opportunities and benefits for our members. This year, CheckUP celebrates 25 years of working together with our members and stakeholders to create healthier communities, and we are looking forward to marking this milestone with you. Key events include our CheckUP Outreach Forum and a 25-year gala dinner. Staff from our Member Organisations are eligible for generous ticket discounts for these events. We relish the opportunity to meet members individually and further strengthen our partnership. If you would like to engage in a discussion regarding your organisation's priorities for the upcoming financial year and explore possibilities for enhanced collaboration, please get in touch.
For any changes to your membership details, please contact our Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Mary Graham, at mgraham@checkup.org.au.
Ten-year vision to deliver a healthier Queensland
Earlier this month the Palaszczuk Government unveiled HEALTHQ32, its 10-year vision for the future of healthcare in Queensland. HEALTHQ32 sets the future direction for the health system and focuses on being adaptable, embedding innovative models of care and new technologies that improve patient care, and delivering services more efficiently. It builds on the Queensland Health and Hospitals Plan.
Artist applications close soon for the Recovered Futures Art Exhibition
Richmond Fellowship Queensland (RFQ) are the organisers of the annual Recovered Futures Art Exhibition, a mainstay on the Brisbane art calendar and a major Queensland Mental Health Week event. The exhibition showcases the talents of artists with lived experience of mental illness while raising awareness of mental health, recovery and wellbeing. Artists are invited to apply to exhibit by completing an application by Sunday 11 June.
Have your next event or training featured in CheckIN
CheckUP Organisational Members are eligible to advertise their latest news, upcoming events, and training under the Member News section of this eNewsletter, which is sent to all of our current members and a wide range of stakeholders. You can send us items by return email, via comms@checkup.org.au.
National Sorry Day
Every year on 26 May, National Sorry Day remembers and acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’. National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation.
The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament. The Bringing Them Home report is a result of a Government Inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20th century.
National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The dates for NRW are the same each year; 27 May to 3 June.
These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision.
Recipe: Tuna and potato chowder
There's plenty of new food to look forward to once the weather starts to cool, with an influx of fresh, autumnal produce, plenty of warming stews and, of course, bowls of hearty soups. You might like to try the tuna and potato chowder recipe from Healthier.Happier. or perhaps their pumpkin soup recipe might be more up your alley.
Acknowledgement of Country
CheckUP acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.
