National Close the Gap Day on Thursday, 19 March highlights the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health equality – a key priority for SWSPHN.
We’re working with our community to close the gap by supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to live healthier and longer lives through prevention and better management of chronic diseases.
We do this in a number of ways.
We’re enhancing the cultural knowledge and understanding of GPs, nurses and others working within general practice to improve the access of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to mainstream primary healthcare services.
We also work with local Elders and the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and other government and non-government organisations, on services tailored to our local community.
Some of these include promoting Aboriginal health assessments, eye health, cancer screening and a Your Health project in two local high schools which aims to improve the health literacy of participants, empowering them to make better informed decisions, and to introduce them to their local Aboriginal Medical Service and support connection to culture.
Published in the Macarthur Chronicle on Wednesday, 11 March.