December 2022

We would like to acknowledge that this land, that Central Adelaide Local Health Network’s services are located on, are the traditional lands for the First Nations Kaurna people, and we support their sovereign connection to this country for which we are privileged to call our home.

We pay our respects to their leaders, past, present and emerging and acknowledge that their language, cultural and traditional beliefs held for over 60,000 years remain as important and relevant to the living Kaurna and all Aboriginal people today.

We also pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians of the many lands that our patients and families come from. 

Welcome to the December 2022 Newsletter 
 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing Hub (the Hub)

The Hub continues to be a warm, safe and inviting place where we do our absolute best to support our people when visiting the hospital.

Over the Christmas period we will continue to operate as normal, Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm. Whilst we won’t be fully staffed, we will ensure that there are adequate staff on the ground to assist.

We’ve seen some movement in staff throughout this year, and we’re extremely excited to announce that we have a number of new positions that we are currently working towards filling early in 2023.

We would like to welcome and introduce to you all our newest team member Pru McLeod.

New RAP Coordinator - Glenys Sumner

“My role will be responsible for supporting and developing effective strategies, partnerships and programs that support CALHN’s vision for overcoming the inequality between all Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people."

“I believe this work will bring all people together and build stronger relationships with our workforce and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."

Find out more about the RAP here.

CALHN’s commitment to culturally-safe Aboriginal healthcare

The importance of listening, caring and healing is at the heart of Central Adelaide Local Health Network’s new Aboriginal Health Framework and Action Plan.

The new framework and action plan commits to supporting healing and acknowledges that healing is more than addressing the physical wellbeing of consumers.

The network is continually working to improve how it delivers care to Aboriginal patients, their families and communities.

“Fundamental to the plan is the acknowledgement that we must work together, in genuine partnership, with patients, families, Aboriginal Communities and our partners to provide Aboriginal patients with access to high quality and culturally responsive clinical care,” said Trish Laccos, Director of Aboriginal Health and Research Translation.

The Listening, Caring, Healing, Aboriginal Health Framework and Action Plan follows key improvements to the network, such as the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing Hub, the CALHN Aboriginal Priority Care Committee in 2020 and the Aboriginal Consumer Reference Group in 2021. These improvements have been the foundation and mechanisms to develop of CALHN’s first Aboriginal Health Framework and Action Plan.

You can read more here.

SA Dental

SA Dental offers an Aboriginal Oral Health Program (AOHP), which aims to improve the oral health of Aboriginal people by increasing oral health knowledge in the community and by improving access to dental services. Aboriginal children under 18 years can access dental care at SA Dental clinics and some specialist dental care. Specialist dental care is provided at the Adelaide Dental Hospital on referral and fees apply.

For more information visit SA Dental.

Aboriginal Employment and Retention Strategy

Increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in health is key to providing culturally safe health services, and Central Adelaide Local Health Network has outlined its commitment to achieving this.

Launched earlier in 2022, the Aboriginal Employment and Retention Strategy commits Central Adelaide to increasing our Aboriginal workforce to 4% through targeted recruitment processes, pathways, and entry points.

To help build our Aboriginal Workforce, Central Adelaide’s strategy includes 4 priorities:

• Working together (partnerships, engagement and relationships)
• Bringing our people in (attraction and recruitment)
• Growing our workforce (which is the retention, build and development) so we can grow, develop, value and retain our Aboriginal staff
• Cultural knowledge and translation (creating a culturally safe environment for staff and consumers)

Read the strategy here.

OCHRE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Emergency Department Volunteer Role

Do you have time to give to volunteering?

The Royal Adelaide Hospital is introducing a new opportunity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to join the Volunteer Services Unit in the OCHRE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Emergency Department (ED) Role.

The Ochre Volunteers help ease emotional distress and anxiety experienced by patients and their family and friends through providing practical and emotional support to identified Aboriginal consumers within the Royal Adelaide Hospital Emergency Department.

Supported by the ED Aboriginal health practitioners and clinical teams, the Ochre volunteers help guide and orientate patients and visitors, offer comfort and support as someone to talk to and practical assistance such as providing refreshments.

The Ochre volunteer must:

• Identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or have an interest in Aboriginal Health
• Adhere to all hospital policies and procedures for DHS screening clearances
• Adhere to healthcare personnel immunisation requirements including mandatory annual flu vaccinations and COVID-19 vaccinations
• Have excellent communication skills and the ability to yarn with consumers from diverse cultural backgrounds

If successful, a regular weekly commitment is negotiated of up to 12 months and involves a supportive three-month trial period to help with orientation to the role.

To apply contact the Volunteer Services Unit on (08) 7074 1240 or at Health.RAHVolunteers@sa.gov.au.

For further information about the Ochre volunteers please contact Madeleine Baillie on 0466 676 832.

The Central and Northern Adelaide Renal Transplant Services (CNARTS) have shown their commitment to listening to the needs of Aboriginal patients by partnering with the local patient representative group AKction (Aboriginal Kidney Care Together; Improving Outcomes Now), to learn about how to improve dialysis services for Aboriginal people.  

Yarning sessions were held in Adelaide, Port Augusta and Ceduna with community members living with chronic kidney disease. These sessions gave mob a chance to have their opinions heard. The main point which came across loud and clear was that dialysis needed to be provided in a culturally safe place, where people felt safe and could get to know their health staff, improve their understanding about kidney issues and get support when they were off country and away from family. CNARTS listened to community feedback and launched a pilot project to provide dialysis in a local Aboriginal hostel facility, Kanggawodli (Kaurna word meaning caring house).

At Kanggawodli there are now two dialysis chairs and some renal patients can live on-site, access primary health services on-site and have transport assistance to health appointments while in Adelaide. As a result of this, dialysis outcomes have improved, including one person placed on transplant list and another able to return to country. CNARTS has continued the project to implement more community suggestions, including a tailored Aboriginal cultural safety course for non-Aboriginal renal health staff, development of resources co-designed with Aboriginal people and cultural care planning which includes transplant work-up.

The project is led by Kelli Owen, an Aboriginal woman with lived experience of renal disease. Kelli has been on dialysis and now has been through the transplant journey, receiving her kidney in 2016. Kelli is a member of the AKction group, the national Indigenous Reference Group and the National Indigenous Kidney Transplant Taskforce. She is dedicated to decolonising the health system and making sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients have their voices heard and receive services which are safe, empowering and meaningful. Also on the team is Aboriginal Health Practitioner Sylvia Reynolds, who leads the clinical care. Sylvia has created a culturally driven model of care which she will be providing to Aboriginal renal patients. Kelli and Sylvia are supported by Kate Tyrell, a non-Aboriginal renal nurse who has worked in health for twenty years, most recently with the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Hub team. Kelli, Sylvia and Kate are committed to raising Aboriginal voices and bringing ancient Aboriginal wisdom and views of health to improve modern health services.

If you are a person living with renal disease and are interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact us on:

• Kelli Owen Project Officer – Kanggawodli Dialysis Project 0429 812 278
• Sylvia Reynolds Aboriginal Health Practitioner (08) 7074 5460
• Kate Tyrell Project Officer – Kanggawodli Dialysis Project 0466 949 383

Cleansing Ceremony at the Hub 

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing Hub invited KUMA KAARU Cultural Services to provide a Cleansing Ceremony for the Hub and healing garden. This special and ceremony took place on Friday 16 December, demonstrating CALHN’s commitment and drive in ensuring that our sites and services are a welcoming and safe environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The first part of the ceremony was open to those present to take part in the smoking. Staff, consumers and community members individually took part in the smoking whereby they each leaned over the smoke to be cleansed and rejuvenated.

The second part of the Ceremony was the cleansing of the Hub. Every area, both inside and the outdoor garden area, was smoked. The ceremony was a time to reflect and bring culture into our workspaces to help heal from the past challenges of the year and reenergise the space for the year ahead.

Community feedback

Patients are encouraged to let us know when they have had a positive experience with our services, or if the care they have received did not meet their expectations. 

This feedback can be provided by contacting the Consumer Experience Team (CET) on (08) 7074 1377 or via email HealthCALHNConsumerExperience@sa.gov.au.

Previous editions of the Aboriginal Community Newsletter may be found on  CALHN's website - please feel welcome to catch up on the previous newsletters and share with others.