Indigenous Health Project Officers Placed In General Practices Across Australia
The Australian Government has allocated more than 80 Indigenous Health Project Officers to general practices across the nation to help close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
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14 April 2010
The Rudd Government has allocated more than 80 Indigenous Health Project Officers to general practices across the nation to help close the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Minister for Indigenous Health and Rural and Regional Health, Warren Snowdon, made the announcement at an Australian General Practice Network workshop in Melbourne, which brought together Indigenous Health Project Officers’ for the first time.
“These positions are placed in general practice to help provide better quality and culturally appropriate care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in mainstream health services.
“It’s important to target this area because research currently shows the majority of Indigenous Australians, that is, more than 60 per cent, report that they go to a doctor/GP outside of Aboriginal Medical Services and hospitals,” Mr Snowdon said.
The role of Indigenous Health Project Officers is to:
- Take a leadership role in general practices to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to make greater use of mainstream primary care.
- Assist general practices and their staff to deliver culturally appropriate services to Indigenous Australians
- Provide a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues at a local level
This will help mainstream and Indigenous health services to work together and with the community to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Over the past few months these project officers have been appointed in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. (See attached table for list of locations)
These workers will help build the capacity of the primary health care system to better tackle chronic diseases which account for two-thirds of the health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. These included cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory and kidney diseases.
Today’s announcement compliments measures already announced under the Rudd Government’s $805.5 million Indigenous Chronic Disease Package, including:
- Funding approval for more than 83 full time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Worker positions, more than half of the 160 positions being funded under a $44 million commitment to building workforce capacity over four years
- Funding of $3.5 m million program to develop a program to recruit more Indigenous doctors
- Funding of $1.2 million to establish the nation’s first peak body to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthworkers
“We hope the gathering will also help the participants to network and build relationships with peers across the country and develop a greater understanding of the opportunities available to help ‘close the gap’ through the delivery of culturally-safe primary health care through mainstream services.
Media contact: Alice Plate 0400 045 999 or alice.plate@health.gov.au
Placement of Indigenous Health Project Officers As Of April 2010
Division Name | Suburb ¹ |
| NSW | |
| Central Sydney GP Network | ASHFIELD |
| South Eastern Sydney Division of General Practice | ROSEBERY |
| Bankstown GP Division | MANAHAN |
| Went West | HARRIS PARK |
| St George District Division of General Practice | HURSTVILLE |
| General Practice Network Northside | HORNSBY |
| Sutherland Division of General Practice | SUTHERLAND |
| Macarthur Division of General Practice | MINTO DC |
| Illawarra Division of General Practice | WOLLONGONG |
| GP Access | NEWCASTLE |
| Hunter Rural Division of General Practice | GREENHILLS |
| Central Coast Division of General Practice | ERINA |
| Shoalhaven Division of General Practice | NOWRA |
| Southern General Practice Network | MORUYA |
| Hastings Macleay General Practice Network | PORT MACQUARIE |
| Mid North Coast (NSW) Division of General Practice | COFFS HARBOUR |
| Northern Rivers General Practice Network (NSW) | LISMORE |
| Tweed Valley General Practice Network | MURWILLUMBAH |
| New England Division of General Practice | ARMIDALE |
| Riverina Division of General Practice and Primary Health | WAGGA WAGGA |
| NSW Central West Division of General Practice | BATHURST |
| Dubbo Plains Division of General Practice | DUBBO |
| Barwon Division of General Practice | MOREE |
| Murrumbidgee General Practice Network | LEETON |
| NSW Outback Division of General Practice | BOURKE |
| North West Slopes (NSW) Division of General Practice | TAMWORTH |
| Nepean Division of General Practice | PENRITH |
| Blue Mountains Division GP Network Incorporated | HAZELBROOK |
| Hawkesbury – Hills Division of General Practice | ROUSE HILL |
| General Practice NSW (State Based Organisation) | SYDNEY |
| Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW (NACCHO affiliate) | SURRY HILLS |
| VICTORIA | |
| North East Valley Division of General Practice | WEST HEIDELBERG |
| Westgate General Practice Network | HOPPERS CROSSING |
| PivotWest | WEST FOOTSCRAY |
| impetus | COBURG |
| Northern Division of General Practice (Melbourne) | PRESTON SOUTH |
| Dandenong Casey General Practice Association | DANDENONG |
| Peninsula GP Network | FRANKSTON |
| GP Association of Geelong | GEELONG |
| Central Highlands General Practice Network | GISBORNE |
| Eastern Ranges GP Association | LILYDALE |
| Central West Gippsland Division of General Practice | MOE |
| Otway Division of General Practice | CAMPERDOWN |
| Ballarat and District Division of General Practice | BALLARAT |
| Central Victoria General Practice Network | BENDIGO |
| Goulburn Valley Division of General Practice | SHEPPARTON |
| East Gippsland Division of General Practice | BAIRNSDALE |
| Albury Wodonga Regional GP Network | WODONGA |
| Murray Plains Division of General Practice | COHUNA |
| Mallee Division of General Practice | MILDURA |
| General Practice Victoria (State Based Organisation) | CARLTON |
| Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO affiliate) | COLLINGWOOD |
| QUEENSLAND | |
| South East Alliance of General Practice (Brisbane) | CAPALABA |
| Brisbane South Division of General Practice | SALISBURY |
| SouthEast Primary HealthCare Network | WOODRIDGE |
| GPpartners | LUTWYCHE |
| General Practice Gold Coast | BURLEIGH WATERS |
| Moreton Bay General Practice Network | MARGATE BEACH |
| Ipswich and West Moreton Division of General Practice | IPSWICH |
| GP Connections | TOOWOOMBA |
| Central Queensland Rural Division of General Practice | BILOELA |
| Townsville General Practice Network | GARBUTT BC |
| RHealth | TOOWOOMBA |
| North and West Queensland Primary Health Care | GARBUTT BC |
| Far North Queensland Rural Division of General Practice | BUNGALOW |
| Sunshine Coast Division of General Practice | COTTON TREE |
| Capricornia Division of General Practice | ROCKHAMPTON |
| GP Links Wide Bay | BUNDABERG |
| General Practice Queensland (State Based Organisation) | BRISBANE |
| Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (NACCHO affiliate) | WEST END |
| SOUTH AUSTRALIA | |
| Adelaide Western General Practice Network | REGENCY PARK |
| Adelaide Northern Division of General Practice | ELIZABETH |
| Adelaide North East Division of General Practice | MODBURY |
| General Practice Network Southern Inc | BEDFORD PARK |
| Eyre Peninsula Division of General Practice | PORT LINCOLN |
| Flinders and Far North Division of General Practice | PORT AUGUSTA |
| Murray Mallee General Practice Network | MURRAY BRIDGE |
| General Practice SA (State Based Organisation) | WAYVILLE |
| Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Inc. (NACCHO affiliate) | UNLEY |
 | |
| |
| |
| WESTERN AUSTRALIA: | |
| Perth Primary Care Network Limited | GUILDFORD |
| Osborne GP Network | OSBORNE PARK |
| Canning Division of General Practice | BENTLEY |
| Fremantle GP Network | MYAREE BC |
| Rockingham Kwinana Division of General Practice | KWINANA |
| GP Down South | MANDURAH EAST |
| Great Southern GP Network | ALBANY |
| Kimberley Division of General Practice | BROOME |
| Goldfields Esperance GP Network | KALGOORLIE |
| Midwest General Practice Network | GERALDTON |
| Greater Bunbury Division of General Practice | BUNBURY |
| Pilbara Health Network | KARRATHA |
| Wheatbelt GP Network | NORTHAM |
| Western Australia Primary Care Network (State Based Organisation) | BENTLEY |
| Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (NACCHO affiliate) | PERTH |
| NORTHERN TERRITORY | |
| General Practice Network Northern Territory (State Based Organisation) | DARWIN |
| Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (NACCHO affiliate) | DARWIN |
| ACT | |
| ACT Division of General Practice (State Based Organisation) | WESTON |
| Australian General Practice Network (peak body) | MANUKA |
| |
| ¹ Relates to physical address of the organisation's head office. | |
| *NACCHO = National Aboriginal Community Health Oganisations | |
| |
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