This Thursday, 16 March is National Close the Gap Day.
Close the Gap Day is a chance to highlight the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in health outcomes, life expectancy and economic opportunity.
At Monash Health, we’re committed to working together to overcome the inequality experienced by First Nations peoples to achieve life outcomes equal to all Australians.
Here’s how you can get involved
Join our Employee Forum
At today’s Employee Forum, Martin Keogh, Chief Operating Officer will be joined by Sarah Ong, Director of Aboriginal Health and Engagement, and Dwayne Pearce, Manager of the Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Service, to discuss some of the important work they’re doing every day to close the gap.
Come along to the Medical Grand Round
Join us at 12:30pm on Wednesday 15 March 2023 via Microsoft Teams for a Medical Grand Round on “Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing: Working towards culturally safe care”.
Sarah and Dwayne will explore what constitutes a culturally safe interaction and the consequences for a patient who doesn’t experience culturally safe care. Sarah and Dwayne will also address elements of trauma-informed care and some practical tips you can use in your everyday practice.
How we can close the gap every day
As healthcare workers, there are actions we can take every day to help close the gap. Here are just a few:
- Build a culturally safe workplace. By recognising the impact of our words and actions, we can all improve the cultural safety of our workplace.
- Ask the question. Asking every patient we see if they identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is an important first step towards providing culturally appropriate care to First Nations patients. You should always go past first impressions and ask the question. Our “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Awareness eLearning Training for Employees” on LATTE is a great resource if you’re unsure about asking the question.
- Inform patients of our Aboriginal Health Service. Letting patients know about the Aboriginal Health Service helps First Nations people feel more comfortable in our care. You can find out how to refer to our Aboriginal Health Service here.
Approved by Martin Keogh, Chief Operating Officer