Working together to stop the spread

This issue:

• The latest translated campaigns - please share through your Networks!
• New mental health supports
• Translated information about telehealth access
• Exciting PhD opportunity 

As always visit the Victorian Government COVID-19 website for the most recent updates and click here for testing locations.  Click here for Victorian Government translated resources. For the latest information on restrictions for residents of the Melbourne public housing high rises please see here. 

Please do keep distributing available translated health protection information with the communities you engage with. Thank you for your ongoing work!

In case you missed it....

We have published a series of e-Bulletins focused on COVID-19 related information and resources. You can view previous e-Bulletin editions here, or visit our website's COVID-19 Information and Resources page to see a collection of many of our previously circulated resources. If you are not already subscribed to our e-Bulletin, please subscribe here. 

Important recent government messaging- translated campaigns

Wearing a mask - Melbourne and Mitchell Shire

The Victorian Chief Health Officer recommends that adults living in areas under Stage 3 restrictions (Melbourne and Mitchell Shire) wear a face mask when outside your home if it is difficult to keep 1.5 metres apart from other people.  The DHHS website has a number of written articles (English only at the moment) on safe mask use.  WHO has infographics on how to wear both fabric and medical masks safely. 

Mental Health Supports 

New: Partners in Wellbeing Support Service

The Partners in Wellbeing program will provide specialist psychosocial and wellbeing supports across Victoria via telephone and video technology to people with experiencing poor psychosocial health and mental-ill health in response to the coronavirus pandemic. For more information, including referral pathways, see the flyer here.

Centre for Multicultural Youth: MYConnect Support Line

A reminder that CMY are offering support for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds during COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak with their MYConnect phone support service. The service can offer information and assistance to navigate services during this difficult time. Interpreters are available and all staff have been trained to use them if a young person requests one. For more information visit their website or the flyer here.

You can find more information about available mental health supports on the Network's COVID-19 resources page here, and on the DHHS coronavirus website here.

Other Information and Resources 

Translated patient information on how to use telehealth! Available in several languages and is available on the Health Direct website here and covers instructions for clinician, instructions on how to invite a third part, Instructions for administrator AND instructions for patients in the following languages:

• Arabic
• Burmese
• Greek
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Karen
• Macedonian
• Persian
• Simplified Chinese
• Spanish
• Swahili
• Traditional Chinese
• Turkish
• Vietnamese

PhD Scholarship Opportunity The Successful Settlement of New Migrants in Regional Victoria The Melbourne Social Equity Institute at the University of Melbourne and the Ballarat EVOLVE Strategic Partnership invite proposals from applicants interested in undertaking research into rural / regional settlement of new migrants in the Ballarat, Wimmera and/or Western Districts of Victoria. Applications close at 12 pm midday on Monday 3 August. For more information please visit this page. 

Webinar recording: The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on refugee health and resettlement – where will we be in one year?  Keynote speakers: Dr Claire Fotheringham & Sandy Eagar. Access the webinar recording here. 

Webinar recording: Foundations for Belonging: A snapshot of newly arrived refugees. A new research report is launched by SSI, with panel discussion by Shanthi Robertson, Dor Achiek and Shukufa Tahiri. Webinar recording and full report here. 

Webinar recording: Post-pandemic, real refugee solutions, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law. For more information, to watch the webinar or listen to the podcast see here. 

Training and Professional Development

The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House) is now delivering their learning and development calendar online, via Zoom. Upcoming workshops include:

• Trauma Informed Assessment and Formulation (Thursday, 16 July 2020; 9:30 - 3:30, online via Zoom)

• Community Capacity Building: Engaging Communities about Mental Health (Thursday, 20 Aug 9:30 - 3:30 Online via Zoom)

Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) Online Seminar Series 

• Series: How do we do ‘cultural safety’ in the time of COVID-19? Using ‘telehealth’ during COVID-19 (Wednesday July 22, 2-3pm Online via Zoom - details to be sent to registrants in advance). Register here. 

• Professional Development for Interpreters and Mental Health Clinicians (Wednesday, 15th July 2020; 3- 4 pm Online via Zoom - details to be sent to registrants in advance). Register here.

Framework for Mental Health in Multicultural Australia Webinar: the third of a four-part webinar series on "Working Together to Promote Mental Health in Multicultural Communities" is happening on Wednesday 5 August 2020 from 2pm to 3pm AEST. Register here. 

About the Victorian Refugee Health Network

The Victorian Refugee Health Network brings together health, settlement and community services to be more accessible and responsive to the needs of people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum. The e-Bulletin provides a regular forum to share news, resources and information to support practitioners and services in providing health care to people from refugee backgrounds.

Connect

You can contact the Victorian Refugee Health Network secretariat at info@refugeehealthnetwork.org.au. You can subscribe to the e-Bulletin here.