Let’s start by asking you an important question we ask our patients – are you of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Origin?
Yes, I am Aboriginal and my family come from a small remote Aboriginal community called Belyuen, which is located on Kenbi land in the Northern Territory: my people are ngangi kurunggurr: my birth right comes from my grandfather who is from Nauiyu Nambiyu
What motivated you to pursue a career in healthcare?
Healthcare was a key factor in my upbringing out bush. My father was an Aboriginal Health Worker, including my aunties and grandma. Some of my earliest memories were going out with them on call outs during the night. So, it is probably not a great surprise that I followed in their footsteps and became an Aboriginal Health Worker.
Tell me about some of the roles you’ve held?
After a few years working out bush, I decided to do further study and became a paramedic, and later a nurse. For the past 12 years I have worked in a number of different leadership roles, and more recently I was the senior advisor to the Chief Aboriginal Health Practitioner and Executive Director Aboriginal Health: before this I was the Director of Aboriginal Health Practitioner for the Top End Remote Health Service.
Not all of our people will be aware of the scope of the Aboriginal Health service at Monash Health….can you please give us an overview of the services we provide?
There are two streams to the Aboriginal Health team at Monash Health. There is the operational side, which delivers programs such as Healthy Koori Kids and the access and support, and then there is the strategic arm, which focuses on the Reconciliation Action Plan and the Cultural Safety plan among many others.
You’ve been in the role for a bit over a month….what have been your first impressions?
It’s cold, and I have learnt to pack for four seasons in one day! Seriously though, the team is doing a great job, and I’ve settled in well. I am loving being in Dandenong – in many ways it is similar to Darwin, which also has a strong multicultural presence.
We want to lead the way in Closing the Gap between health outcomes for Aboriginal people and other Australians – how would you assess the current state of play in the Monash Health catchment area?
In a metropolitan setting, there are many health services that are available which is great, but one of the biggest issues is helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders find their place and successfully navigate the health service. One of the things we are trying to do is provide a holistic service to support Aboriginal clients and build their confidence to be able to access external services.
What are the biggest issues the Aboriginal Health team are dealing with at the moment?
The issues here are consistent with issues across the country. The starting point is providing health services that are responsive to cultural needs. Beyond that it is looking to significantly reduce infant death rates and ensuring children are born healthy and strong, and reducing the incidence of chronic disease, addressing mental health and low health literacy
What are some things that our people could do which would help further the progress of our Reconciliation Action Plan?
I’d encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to reach out to our office, or to look at some of the resources that we’ve got online. It has been great this week to have so many people getting involved in National Reconciliation Week – it all helps building relationships and respect, which are key elements of the Reconciliation Action Plan.
For more information, please go to: https://monashhealth.org/services/aboriginal-health/
Approved by Julia Oxley