Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

Working with Aboriginal Communities for better health and wellbeing outcomes

Eastern Melbourne PHN’s Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Program aims to support Aboriginal communities in eastern and north eastern Melbourne through initiatives that provide better access to health and wellbeing services and which provide greater opportunities for Aboriginal Communities to develop services to their communities’ requirements.

The framework for achieving this is aligned to wider efforts to close the gap in life expectancy and health outcomes between Aboriginal peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.

The Program

  • identifies and acts on local Aboriginal Communities’ knowledge of their needs and their understanding of how to address those needs
  • addresses the care coordination needs of Aboriginal people living with ongoing conditions such as diabetes and asthma
  • supports access for Aboriginal Communities to primary health, alcohol and other drug treatment, mental health and other types of services
  • contributes to building a health system that provides high quality, accessible and culturally safe and appropriate health care
  • supports communities to access after-hours primary care, cancer screening and childhood immunisation
  • collaborates with other governments and non – government organisations to develop united approaches to service development that continue to increase Aboriginal Community control over the provision of services and support for their communities.

Reconciliation Action Plan

EMPHN has developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in consultation with Aboriginal Communities across the EMPHN region. The RAP will help refine and consolidate our practices toward engaging and working with Aboriginal Communities and will continue to drive the organisation toward better understanding of the most effective ways of supporting Aboriginal Communities. It will help guide how we integrate community knowledge, the best evidence and our own learnings, with the planning, development and implementation of future commissioning policies and practices.

View EMPHNs Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations

The following Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) are based in eastern and north eastern Melbourne:

The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service also provides services in our catchment.

Training

Practice staff wanting to undertake Cultural Safety Training can access an on-line course through RACGP. Visit their website for more information.