Review of Investment in Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Activity – Final Report
State/ Territory Snapshot: New South Wales
The Commonwealth directly funds services and the NSW Department of Health for their activities. Funding for 2009-10 was $2,574,813.
Program/service | Description | Location/# of employees | Regions serviced |
| NSW Dept of Health, Aboriginal Access AIDS/Infectious Diseases Branch receives a total of $2,021,646 and allocated it across the following services:
Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AHMRC) $221,500 AIDS Council of NSW Greater Western Area Health Service (AHS) Greater Southern AHS Hunter & New England AHS $96,000 North Coast AHS Nth Sydney & Central Coast AHS Sydney West AHS South Eastern Sydney & Illawarra AHS Sydney South West AHS Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Aboriginal Medical Service Mt Druitt Awakabal Newcastle Aboriginal Medical Corporation Biripi Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service Bourke Aboriginal Health Service $59,599 Bulgarr Ngaru Aboriginal Medical Service Coomeealla Health Aboriginal Corporation Durri Aboriginal Medical Service Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service Katungul Aboriginal Corporation Pius X Aboriginal Medical Service South Coast Medical Service Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation Wellington Aboriginal Medical Service | Funding to the NSW Department of Health to implement Commonwealth National Strategies relating to HIV/Aids, Hepatitis C and Sexually Transmissible Infections (STI), including the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Strategy (NATSISHBBVS). The purposes are to reduce the transmission of STIs, the morbidity caused by HIV/AIDS, STI, Blood Borne Virus (BBV) in Indigenous communities and to minimise the social and personal impacts of these infections. NSW Health distributes this funding to 8 Area Health Services and 15 Aboriginal Medical Services, which are responsible for the provision of a range of sexual health and BBV prevention, diagnosis, NSW Health distributes this funding to 8 Area Health Services and 15 Aboriginal Medical Services, which are responsible for the provision of a range of sexual health and BBV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and support appropriate to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations they serve. The sexual health workforce funded by this project provides additional HIV/AIDS, STI and Hepatitis C programs. NSW Health contributes $3.5M of its own funding to the 15 AMS and 8 NSW AHS for Sexual Health and BBV activity. NSW Health also coordinates regular Sexual Health Worker Network Meetings in NSW. In October 2010, NSW Health and OATSIH NSW will jointly coordinate and host a national Aboriginal Sexual Health and BBV Conference which will bring together all government departments, Aboriginal Medical Services and organisations that are funded by OATSIH to provide Sexual Health and BBV activity. | Redfern - 2
Surry Hills - 6 Mt Druitt - 1 Newcastle - 1 TareeBourke - 1 Grafton - 1 - 1 Dareton - 1 Kempsey – 1 Wollongong – 1 Narooma - 1 Moree - 1 Nowra - 1 Campbelltown - 1 Walgett – 1 Wellington – 1 GWAHS - 3 GSAHS - 2 HNEHS - 2 NCAHS - 3 NSCCAHS – 1 SESIAHS – 3.5 SWAHS - 1 SSWAHS - 3 | Whole of NSW |
| Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (AHMRC) $112,193 |
| 1 project officer | State wide |
| Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service (youth demonstration project) $130,163 |
| 1 male sexual health nurse
1 male Aboriginal Health Worker | Macleay and Nambucca Valley |
| Justice Health $114,207 (youth demonstration project) | Supports a fulltime Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth Sexual Health Education Officer to improve and enhance the sexual health of Indigenous youth in custody in Juvenile Justice Centres. Delivers culturally appropriate sexual health education and prevention services, as well as enhances community health connections to testing and treatment for BBVs and STIs. Also improves continuity of care following release from custody. Funded position is responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of culturally specific sexual health education and the coordination of testing and treatment for young people in custody at risk of BBVs and STIs in line with national strategies. |  | Whole of state, but rural communities the priority |
| South Eastern Sydney Division of General Practice $182,714 (youth demonstration project) | Peer education sexual health summer outreach project (Safe Summer Survival) for young Aboriginal people 16-24 years. Safe Summer Survival involves the recruitment and training of young people to conduct outreach activities to their peers. The young people are employed on a part time basis during the summer to be peer educators, as well as casually during the remainder of the year. Once trained, they are able to discuss sexual health, drug and alcohol issues, provide referral services and hand out condoms and information to their peers as well as the parents of adolescents. The project engages young people to supervise activities that promote healthy lifestyles, increase education in sexual health, strengthen relationships and build self esteem and cultural pride of the young people to develop community capacity. A project officer will work with GPs and local Aboriginal groups to identify and facilitate a cultural awareness training program for local GPs interested in providing services to Aboriginal youth. The project officer will also work with representatives from the La Perouse Aboriginal Community Health Centre, La Perouse Youth Group, GPs and Area Health Service staff to establish a health clinic for local Aboriginal youth. | La Perouse area of Sydney - 1 Project Officer | |
| Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation $7140 (one-off project) Galambila Aboriginal Health Service | | | |