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PrintA time for hope, healing and health
With the Indigenous health crisis in the national spotlight, there has been much focus on the grim statistics. However, there are plenty of successful programs throughout Australia being driven by Indigenous communities.
Katrina Amy Loogatha and her youngster are members of local Indigenous communities in Mornington Island, Queensland, where Oxfam Australia works. Photo: Wayne Quilliam/OxfamAUS
The Indigenous health crisis has highlighted the serious health problems being faced in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
But amid all the doom and gloom, there is great cause for optimism. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs across Australia are improving, extending and saving lives; programs which have originated at the local level by Indigenous communities that draw on the knowledge and support of community Elders and empower Indigenous people to take responsibility for their own futures.
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) has recently released a report entitled Success Stories in Indigenous Health, which highlights some of the successful programs taking place in Indigenous communities in every mainland Australian state and territory. The report is designed to help Australians think of Indigenous health in terms of success, rather than despair. Here, we take a look at four of those programs.
MUMS AND BABIES PROGRAM
Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services, Queensland
Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services (TAIHS) established the Mums and Babies program — a morning clinic for pregnant women and young mothers — in 2000. Long waiting times and a historically unwelcoming hospital environment had kept many Indigenous women from using mainstream health services during their pregnancy.
In the first month, the clinic saw 40 clients. A year later, the number had grown to 500 clients per month. Five years on, the health outcomes for Indigenous babies and infants in Townsville have improved markedly. There has been a reduction in low birth weight babies from 16% to 11.7%; average birth weights have increased by 170 grams; and peri natal deaths have fallen from 58 per 1,000 to 22 per 1,000.
The Community Development and Employment Program, run by the Shire of Mornington Island in Queensland, provides training and employment opportunities for local men. Photo: Wayne Quilliam/OxfamAUS.
“We’re seeing more pregnant women, we’re seeing them earlier in their pregnancy and we’re seeing them more regularly,” TAIHS Senior Medical Officer Dr Kathryn Panaretto says. “Having this sort of consistency means you can build a relationship with the women and talk with them about issues like smoking, alcohol and healthy eating.”
The clinic provides birthing information and support, supervised childcare, breastfeeding programs and advice on staying healthy during pregnancy. It also immunises children, monitors child development and provides transport.
“The people who use the service like the fact that most of the staff here are Indigenous,” Acting Program Coordinator Melvina Mitchell says. “And they like seeing the same faces when they come in.”
GOOD FOOD, GREAT KIDS
Yarra Valley Community Health Service, Victoria
Yarra Valley Community Health Service (YVCHS) started the Good Food, Great Kids program after a community needs assessment revealed high levels of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other nutrition-related problems within the local Indigenous community.
YVCHS met with Elders from the local community and worked out a range of strategies to encourage healthy eating practices among Indigenous children, parents and families. These included Down to Earth, a schools-based nutrition program; the Wise Women and Spend Wisely family nutrition programs; and a community garden.
Down to Earth made a big impact on the two participating schools — from what’s served in the canteen to policies around healthy nutrition. There were cooking programs, kitchen gardens and a breakfast program. Children learned about growing food, the environment and local Indigenous history and culture.
Oxfam Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples program works with communities in the Gulf of Carpentaria in far north-west Queensland on programs to improve their health. Photo: Wayne Quilliam/OxfamAUS.
The Wise Women Program saw Indigenous women meet regularly to talk and cook nutritious meals. The program focussed on children’s nutrition — what to put in school lunches, how to make vegetables interesting and make sure children get enough iron. Under the Spend Wisely program, a nutrition support worker worked intensively with 10 families, taking them shopping, cooking meals and teaching budgeting skills.
“We saw some terrific results,” YVCHS dietician Jo Stanford says. “Families were putting fruit and vegetables on the shopping list, they were making sure kids had breakfast before school. These are small changes but they can have a huge effect.”
SUBSTANCE MISUSE
Mt Theo-Yuendumu Substance Misuse Aboriginal Corporation, Northern Territory
When a petrol-sniffing epidemic among young people gripped the remote Aboriginal township of Yuendumu in the early 1990s, local Warlpiri Elders decided on a “zero tolerance” approachto the problem. With the support of traditional owners, the local school, the Tanami Network and the local Community Government Council, young petrol sniffers were sent to Purtulu, Mt Theo Outstation, about 160km away, to recover, learn traditional culture and break their addiction.
At the same time, a comprehensive youth program was started in Yuendumu to offer young people active and healthy alternatives to petrol sniffing, and to support young graduates returning from Mt Theo. Within 10 years, there were no petrol sniffers in the town. The program is now working with young adults in the community to address the underlying causes of petrol sniffing and help develop a strong, skilled and dedicated group of young leaders.
To date, the community-driven initiative has transformed the lives of more than 400 young Aboriginal people in the region and is now used as a model for other remote communities in the Northern Territory.
“From the beginning, the community has upheld Warlpiri values and used culturally appropriate ways of doing the work,” Mt Theo Manager Susie Low says. “It is the families’ combined strength and determination that has allowed this program to prosper.”
HEALTHY HOUSINGWORKER PROGRAM
Murdi Paaki Regional Housing Corporation, New South Wales
A pilot program in far west New South Wales is developing an efficient and sustainable solution to the complex task of repairing and maintaining houses in rural and remote Aboriginal communities.
Operated by the Murdi Paaki Regional Housing Corporation (MPRHC), the program trains community members in carpentry, electrical and plumbing, giving them the hands-on skills to identify and fix a wide range of common housing problems.
“For instance, if a septic tank needs to be repaired, it can be done straight away. A family doesn’t have to wait for a plumber to travel out to the community and do the job,” MPRHC General Manager Bruce Graham says.
Having two housing workers in each community also means that houses are checked more frequently and that community infrastructure and environmental hazards can be regularly monitored.
“Regularly maintaining houses and community infrastructure can help reduce infections and diseases like gastroenteritis, and reduce injuries and trauma from home accidents,” Greater West Area Health Service Director Bill Balding says. “It also creates an environment where there are improved outcomes for child health.”
These case studies are reproduced with the permission of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR).