Three local winners at the NSW Aboriginal Health Awards
Of the five Hunter New England Health finalists nominated in the 2008 Aboriginal Health Awards, three have been recognised as winners at a ceremony held in Sydney last night.
The Hunter New England Health Award winners included:
• Gary Creighton from Tamworth Community Health, who won the Working Together to Make a Difference – Individual Award for his work in establishing the Yaamanhaa Men’s Group.
• Good for Kids, Good for Life Equity – Focused Health Impact Assessment, which won the Minister’s Award for Aboriginal Health.
• Using knowledge to safeguard our nations – A collaborative approach to vascular and renal health in Aboriginal Communities within the Countries of north-eastern NSW, which won the award for Innovation in Chronic Care
Director of Population Health, Planning and Performance, Kim Browne said it’s a deserving win for staff and their service and the many community partners who have worked tirelessly on each project to help improve the life expectancy of Aboriginal people in the Hunter New England Health region.
“The awards are a tribute to the all the staff involved in delivering high quality health services, as we continue to work to reduce the gap that exists for Aboriginal people, in terms of their health disadvantage, “Ms Browne said.
Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Garry Creighton won the Working Together to Make a Difference award, in recognition of the strong partnerships he has formed. Garry was instrumental in developing the Yaamanhaa Men’s Group in the Tamworth community as well as being a strong indigenous leader and role model on a number of health issues.
The Yaamanhaa Men’s Group meets every fortnight since its inception more than three-years ago, with the aim of building self-esteem and to provide a support base for members of the Aboriginal community.
“The group has been working to re-establish traditional roles of Murri men and encourage youth to be proud and strong in their culture. I am very proud and humbled to accept this award, “Mr Creighton said.
The Good for Kids. Good for Life project, which took out the prestigious Minister’s Award for Aboriginal Health, was developed by a team of dedicated staff members at Hunter New England Population Health, again with many partners from the Aboriginal community and from other organisations. The program focuses on setting Aboriginal children on the right pathway to better health.
It is the first program of its kind to be developed in Australia, seeking advice from the Aboriginal community about how the mainstream Good for Kids. Good for Life program could be made relevant for Indigenous children and families.
The Using knowledge to safe guard our nations, developed by Renal Nurse Consultant Lesley Salem and Project Officer Della Yarnold won the Innovation in Chronic Care Award category.
The project was instrumental in developing a collaborative approach in the early identification of vascular and renal health problems in Aboriginal communities, creating strategies to maintain kidney health and address the cardiovascular disease linked with early levels of kidney dysfunction.
The program identified key factors for the growing rate of renal disease in Indigenous communities and working towards future invention.
Contact: Kylie Dawson (Communication Officer)
Phone: (02) 6767 7136 or 0408 667 299