Ahead of World Diabetes Day join NACCHO & Diabetes Australia for the third Eye Health 2024 Webinar Series: Eye Health and Diabetes.

Wednesday 13 November 2024 - 1-2pm AEDT

NACCHO Australia Instagram post.

Visit the NACCHO portal to find out more.

Source: IAHA e-News 5 November 2024

Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) reports there are calls for a food price cap in remote communities after:

"A consumer advocacy group has found high-priced groceries in First Nations communities across Australia is contributing to food insecurity. The report found across all Australian capital cities the price of the nine essential items averaged $44.70, while in remote communities it was more than double." Read more here.  Source: IAHA e-News 5/11/24

Recent reports have noted an increase in the presentations of scurvy. The cost-of-living crisis and rise in bariatric surgeries are thought to be contributing to this risk. Scurvy can present orally, most commonly as generalised severe erythematous gingivitis which is painful and bleeds heavily upon touch or sometimes spontaneously.

It is important as oral health practitioners we manage our patients holistically and refer to a general practitioner if there are suspected systemic issues.

From the AHHA Healthcare in Brief 25/10/24:

"A recent case of scurvy, a once-rare disease historically linked to sailors' lack of fresh fruits and vegetables on long sea voyages, has been identified in Western Australia.

Some medical professionals are describing it as a ‘re-emerging diagnosis’ due to the current rise in living costs and the increasing number of bariatric surgeries."

Read more: 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-23/scurvy-case-detected-western-australia/104503318

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/23/perth-man-treated-for-scurvy-as-cost-of-living-crisis-brings-back-disease-of-the-past

Healing Smiles is an organisation providing pro-bono dental care to survivors of domestic violence in Western Australia.

They are a community of female volunteer dental practitioners who are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment where domestic violence survivors can access treatments without fear of financial, physical, and emotional limitations.

Healing Smiles' unique program aims to restore smiles while delivering safe, holistic, and multidisciplinary care.

ADOHTA Life Member Carol Nevin shares:

"I've been doing Healing Smiles clinics on a monthly basis at OHCWA for the past year and it's so rewarding. With our skill sets, we have a lot to offer." 

Recruitment for volunteers is to support offering sessions in a new purpose-built clinic, which will be ready by early to mid-February 2025 and located in the Ruah building in Northbridge.

An orientation session for interested volunteers will be held on Saturday 1 February 2025 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

Please find all the details in the flyer below. 

HEALING SMILES INFO

HEALING SMILES WEBSITE

The Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) has four "My Health My Way" booklets available with the aim to improve chronic disease outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The booklets include: 

• My Moves
• My Life
• My Food & Drinks
• My Feet

These resources were created in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners working in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community sector.

Source: IAHA e-News 29 October 2024

Beyond Blue is the official charity partner for the 2XU Wellness Run on 1 December 2024 and ADAVB (Australian Dental Association Victoria Branch) will be participating at St Kilda, Victoria. In addition to producing evidence-based resources and education, Beyond Blue take 900 calls a day to offer advice, referral and support.

From ADAVB: 

"Three million people in Australia are living with anxiety and depression. There is a growing demand for Beyond Blue’s services to help ease the burden of mental illness.

The ADAVB Sports and Social Committee have created an ADAVB group for the 2024 2XU Wellness Run, joining forces to raise both vital funds and awareness for mental health and well-being. Connect with your peers as we join together to run 21km, 10km, 5km or 1km around the iconic views of St Kilda."

VIEW MORE DETAILS AND REGISTER

DONATE HERE

             

"The Lowitja Institute outlined a new plan for national cultural safety training standards in health care that will improve health and safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."
IAHA e-News 17 October 2024

"In Australia, there has been increasing recognition of the critical importance of cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is critical for improving access to quality healthcare, addressing the social determinants of health, and elevating the importance of the cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Understanding of cultural safety and related concepts has evolved over two decades in our dynamic and diverse contemporary society. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and education professionals, communities and community controlled organisations have worked to define and refine the core features of culturally safe systems, programs, and services across the social and cultural determinants of health.

This discussion paper reflects on the history of advocacy for cultural safety in Australia, and its promotion and application through cultural safety training and education, including what is currently known about the impact on participants’ knowledge, skills, and subsequent actions. Cultural safety training and education is one of multiple mechanisms needed for embedding cultural safety across systems, policies, programs, and services in the pursuit of health equity and justice."

Excerpt from Cultural Safety in Australia: Background/Introduction, Lowitja Institute 2024

Image: Cultural Safety in Australia, Lowitja Institute, 2024

DOWNLOAD THE CULTURAL SAFETY IN AUSTRALIA RESOURCE

The Aurora Education Foundation (Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation) provides supplementary financial assistance to Indigenous Postgraduate students who wish to undertake studies at any recognised overseas university.

Applications for the scholarship are currently open and close on 31 January 2025. 

The scholarship is offered for one year, but recipients may reapply for a subsequent year of the same program of study. The value of the Scholarship is up to a maximum of AUD $75,000. 

Roberta Sykes Scholarships are jointly funded by the Australian Government (National Indigenous Australians Agency), the British High Commission (Chevening), Cambridge Australia Scholarships Ltd, Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, and the University of Cambridge.

FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY HERE

Source: Aurora Education Foundation website / IAHA e-News 17 October 2024

Recent media has reported on the recent data published by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare. This data is alarming, but unfortunately unsurprising as oral health is often neglected in broader health policy. ADOHTA continues to lobby and advocate for increased funding for oral health services and inclusion of oral health in general health.

"The latest update of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's (AIHW) oral health and dental care report, published last week, has reported that over 87,000 hospitalisations for dental conditions could have been prevented if patients had received earlier treatment. The data also indicates that 30% of Australians who needed to see a dentist delayed or avoided a visit in the past 12 months, with about one in five citing cost as a reason for their decision."

Source: AHHA Healthcare in Brief 11 October 2024

Read more via the ABC news article.

Read more via The Daily Aus article.

From the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) The Bushwire email 10 October 2024: 

"The outcomes of the Narromine High School Wellbeing Hub presented by Dr Vicky Owen at the 17th National Rural Health Conference in Perth was highlighted in a recent Australian Associated Press article, stating that it’s making a big difference in the lives of rural students.

At the hub, students have access to a GP, speech and occupational therapists, a psychologist and get hearing and dental check-ups.

‘The hub's work, recently highlighted at the National Rural Health Conference in Perth, held up as an example of collaborative healthcare working to close the gap... More than 300 GP appointments were conducted in 2023, with 93 Indigenous students getting a health check that assesses the risk of chronic illness,’ AAP reports."

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Source: National Rural Health Alliance 'The Bushwire' email 10 October 2024.