Closing the gap: two local winners at NSW Aboriginal Health Awards
8 July 2009
Two Hunter New England Health initiatives designed to improve the health outcomes of Aboriginal community members were named winners at the 2009 NSW Aboriginal Health Awards.
The Awards, held on Monday night in Sydney, aim to recognise the outstanding practice of both individuals and programs creating better outcomes in Aboriginal Health.
The two Hunter New England Health award winners were:
• The Shake a Leg Program took top honours in the Strengthening Aboriginal Families and Children category. The program is designed to address health issues early in a fun and interactive way. It also aims to reduce the likelihood of children/young people developing preventable illnesses commonly known to Aboriginal people.
• HNE Health’s Aboriginal Employment Program won the Excellence in Workforce category. The program has contributed to significantly increasing employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees throughout the HNE Health Area, employing an additional 115 people in the past two years.
There were five other HNE Health finalists in the Awards:
• The establishment of The Armidale Community Health Aboriginal Mothers and Babies Service was a finalist in the Excellence in Service section.
• The Tamworth-based Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT) Program was a finalist in the Enterprise and Resourcefulness category.
• Moree’s culturally-appropriate Healthy Lifestyles educational program was a finalist in the Innovation in Chronic Care section.
• Newcastle-based Tina Pidcock was a finalist for the Gail May Award in recognition of her commitment to reducing health inequality for Aboriginal people, particularly through her work in the development of the Integrated Chronic Care project.
• Tamworth-based Tina Maybury was a finalist for the Hall of Fame Award. She was recognised as a passionate advocate for Aboriginal rights, as well as for her continuing efforts to achieve positive outcomes for her community.
Director of Population Health, Planning and Performance, Kim Browne, said the two winning projects and other finalists were all outstanding examples of the innovative approach HNE Health staff members used in designing programs for Aboriginal people.
“Hunter New England Health is committed to closing the health gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and our staff members are constantly looking at new ways of raising awareness of Aboriginal health needs, as well as advocating for better health delivery systems,” Ms Browne said.
“The NSW Aboriginal Health Awards are a tribute to the all the staff involved in delivering these high quality health services, and we will continue to work towards spearheading improvements in Aboriginal Health.”
The Shake A Leg Program is a schools-based health promotion program for both primary and secondary schools. Evidence shows that poor health commences early in life, as do behaviours which can increase or decrease the likelihood of poor health.
Within the Hunter New England Health Area, 51 per cent of the Aboriginal population are aged under 20 years, compared to 28 per cent in the non-Aboriginal population.
Consultation with Aboriginal communities identified health education and promotion for young people as a high priority. The main aim of Shake a Leg is to reduce preventable health conditions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children through the provision of fun, interactive, school-based information. The project has been implemented at more than 10 schools throughout the Area.
Hunter New England Health’s Aboriginal Employment Strategy has contributed to significantly increasing employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.
The percentage of Aboriginal people in HNE Health’s workforce is 2.1 per cent. The percentage of Aboriginal people in the workforce prior to the implementation of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy was 1.6 per cent.
Increasing employment of Aboriginal people throughout the Hunter New England Health Area is considered to be a key component of improving Aboriginal Health outcomes.
(HNE-1907)
Contact: Carisa Green
Phone: (02) 6767 7135 or 0428 106 183