Talking Aboriginal Health at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service

Mahlia Peachy, Wayilwan and Wiradjuri Practice Manager, VAHS: The health of an Aboriginal person and the social and emotional wellbeing of an Aboriginal person, they really aren't that different. It goes hand in hand. If their health is down, then that can affect their social and emotional wellbeing, and vice versa. So, at VAHS we have a holistic approach to health and we consider all aspects.

Aunty Joyce, Elder, Yorta Yorta, Boonwurrung, DjaDja Wurrung, Wurundjeri, Wamba Wamba, Barapa Barapa, Taungurung, Wotjobaluk, Wiradjuri:  It's like a big meeting place for everyone to come here.

Uncle Boots, Elder, Yorta Yorta, Boonwurrung, DjaDja Wurrung, Wurundjeri, Wamba Wamba, Barapa Barapa, Taungurung, Wotjobaluk: It's not only a health service but a community connection service.

Gavin Brown Gunditjmara, Chief Operating Officer, VAHS : VAHS has always been seen as a home away from home. So we still try to reflect that. Hospitals do a great job but they're really busy and you can get lost in that. It's all those wraparound things and holistic health that we do, even to a point of sitting down and having a cup of tea.

Mahlia Peachy: A lot of our mob, especially our older mob, have a lot of trauma around entering healthcare settings. So when as an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation we're able to really offer that service and our clinicians are able to take the time to build that trust and build those relationships then the community, they just feel heard, and they feel like it's a really safe space.

Uncle Boots: Aboriginal community looks for an Aboriginal worker and they feel comfortable with them.

Gavin Brown: The funding through the department, the ‘Strengthening Life-long Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing through Access to Early Intervention and Holistic Care' initiative. It has been a fabulous program to roll out. The ability to respond to more of our people now is a huge outcome. It helps us deliver more health checks. It enables people to come after hours. It enables more phone contacts. It helps us with our ability to respond to people's needs.

Mahlia Peachy: Because of this initiative, we have been able to increase our health checks by 14%, which is great because health checks, they aren't just an easy little assessment that needs to be done. It takes a minimum an hour and a half.

Dr Sarah Kush, General Practitioner, VAHS: A health worker will sit down with someone first and do a really long health check and story, and then they'll say the GP after. And it doesn't matter how well someone is there'll always be something that pops up in a health check. So the health checks remind you if someone's had their immunisations, it'll check their blood pressure, doing someone's asthma action plan, making sure their diabetes is under control. So reducing the risk of someone having a heart attack or stroke or a vaccine preventable illness and ending up in emergency.

Aunty Joyce: I go in every fortnight and I have all the regular tests that I need. That's what our people need to do. They do need to see a doctor regularly. They do need to have a plan ready for themselves so they can look after themselves instead of going into a hospital.

Dr Sarah Kush: The funding's been really good. It means we've started the Saturday morning clinics again. Having done them, everyone's so happy that they're on. It's meaning that it's not left to too late, or going to a clinic where someone doesn't know their problem or their story, or going to emergency because they couldn't come in here. On one of the Saturdays, I think there was seven people out of the nine that we saw that didn't have to then go to emergency. We knew their story and could sort the problem out before it became a bigger problem and it needed to go to emergency.

Mahlia Peachy: I've noticed as a practice manager that our clients just feel like we're listening to them, and that we're just adapting to the needs of the community. They appreciate that we're then working after hours or working on weekends, they appreciate that we're taking more time to follow up any recalls or follow up on any health care needs.

Aunty Joyce: With the community, they feel more comfort in knowing that they have a health service there for them. And you feel the love. And the culture. What more do you need?