A ground-breaking $1.5m project developed in partnership between the Sax Institute and three NSW Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) will support Aboriginal people in living longer and healthier lives.
Working in partnership with Aboriginal communities, the project will evaluate and enhance prevention programs that, in contrast to many current initiatives, are centred around Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing.
Funded by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund, the project was announced yesterday by the Federal Minister for Health the Hon. Mark Butler. It will look at the impact of innovative, community-designed prevention programs at NSW ACCHSs and identify ways to enhance their reach and uptake – providing much needed evidence that will feed into decision making and policy around healthy ageing in Aboriginal communities.
The project will be led by Sandra Bailey, Senior Adviser on Aboriginal Health at the Sax Institute. A Yorta Yorta woman and expert in Aboriginal primary health care, Ms Bailey was Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council for 25 years. She has had a leading research role in SEARCH (Study of Environment on Aboriginal Resilience and Child Health) and is currently involved in the CHANGES study on improving healthy ageing, preventing cancer and improving cancer care in older Aboriginal people.
Sandra Bailey says that to be successful, programs aimed at improving the health of Aboriginal people need to be Aboriginal-led and reflect the knowledge and experience of Aboriginal communities, while also having outcome measures that are decided by communities to ensure they are relevant.
“It’s really important that prevention programs are accessible in Aboriginal communities and to highlight the amazing work that the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector do. Through prioritising Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, this will help people feel comfortable and motivated in taking part and will have flow-on effects on health outcomes.”
The project is founded on strong, long-term collaborations between the Sax Institute and Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Services, including Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation in Campbelltown (outer Sydney), Orange Aboriginal Medical Service and Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation (both in regional NSW), as well as the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AH&MRC). Over the last 15 years this collaboration has delivered a wide range of new evidence leading to significant improvements in Aboriginal health outcomes.
The project recognises that Aboriginal people experience many chronic and complex health conditions at earlier ages than non-Indigenous people, and that the factors leading to these conditions are substantially different. While there are many mainstream prevention programs focused on healthy eating, reducing tobacco use and increasing exercise as well as chronic disease screening and management, Aboriginal people are less likely to access them as they don’t appropriately address their needs. In contrast, this project will build on current healthy ageing programs available through ACCHSs, which provide culturally safe and responsive health care and programs for their communities.
The project will share insights and learnings with a wider network of ACCHSs and policy makers to identify where to target investment to improve uptake of prevention programs and have the greatest effect on health and quality of life for Aboriginal people.
“We are delighted to continue to expand our long-term partnership with Aboriginal communities through the funding received through this grant,” said Dr Martin McNamara, CEO of the Sax Institute.
“The Sax Institute is strongly committed to enabling Indigenous-led efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of First Nations peoples. There is so much innovative work being led by Aboriginal communities right now that is changing the way health services are delivered. We are excited to be able to continue our collaborations in this area to support better health outcomes for Aboriginal people.”
Find out more about the Sax Institute’s Aboriginal Health collaborations here.
