- Health Mentors
SBS website, 29 April 2009
Celebrating strengths, learning, hard work and commitment to community are just some of the ideas behind a new film and report just released by the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit.
Called "Sharing our stories, Building on our Strengths", it focues on the work of two Aboriginal health workers Anthony Brown from the Koori Kids Adolescents Unit and Troy Austin, president of the Fitzroy Stars Football Club.
The two men - and a number of others - were mentored through a process that lead to them presenting at the world conference "From Margins to Mainstream" last year.
Onemda says the whole experience was so inspiring, it decided to make a movie about it!
Michelle Lovegrove speaks with Paul Stewart, who's a research and community development officer at Onemda - about a process that revealed some incredible life stories.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
- Research works better 'in Koori Hands'
The Koori Mail , 7 October 2008
This article featured a new Onemda report titled We Can Like Research.in Koori Hands , which was launched at the Koorie Heritage Trust on 7 October 2008. The report presents findings of several workshops held around Victoria held this year. The workshops discussed Koori health research and were run with Koori Elders, members of the community, and researchers from Onemda and the community.
- Kanyirninpa and the health of Indigenous men in the Kimberley Desert
Interview on ABC radio 774 Melbourne, 6 July 2008
Dr Brian McCoy spoke of his recently published book Holding Men - Kanyirninpa and the Health of Aboriginal Men , which explores how Indigenous men living in the Kimberley Dessert communities in WA understand their lives, health and culture. McCoy explained how the concept of kanyirinpa or holding is expressed and how it can help with health issues such as suicide, risk behaviour and substance abuse.
- Call for a national target to boost the number of Indigenous medical students
The Australian , 12 May 2008, p 7
This article states that 'the scarcity of Indigenous has been identified as a major factor of the poor health of Aboriginal people'. It quotes Ian Anderson as stating that 'if you want to have equality in healthcare, you have to have Aboriginal people working in all parts o f the Aboriginal healthcare chain'. Medical student Shirley Godwin, 'one of the shockingly small band of just over 100 Indigenous medical students', is quoted as saying that it is not that Aboriginal Australians mistrust white medicine, 'it is more about the delivery, and historically there has been some fairly inappropriate ways of delivering healthcare to Aboriginal people.'
The Age , (Insight) 3 May 2008, p 10
This article introduces Onemda Director, Ian Anderson, as an Aboriginal doctor breaking family and societal norms, is a trailblazer in Indigenous health who has set his compassion and intellect to the task of fighting inequality.
- Utopia points way for health
The Australian , 4 April 2008, p. 8
The remote Northern Territory community of Utopia has mortality rates that are 'strikingly low compared with other Indigenous populations in the territory', bucking the national trend. These good results, found in a study conducted by a team of researchers that included Onemda staff, are owing to self-determination, a more traditional lifestyle as well as a proactive health service that travels to remote outstations.
- Racism 'weakens Indigenous health'
The Age , 14 March 2008, p 3
Racism toward Indigenous people undermines their health, a new paper says. Studies show that three out of four Aborigines experience racism in everyday life, and that racist experiences are associated with depression, psychological distress and substance abuse. reducing racism must be part of Federal government plans to close the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The paper developed from a symposium at Melbourne University. the lead author, Dr Yin Paradies from the university, said many people did not think there was racism in Australia but it was 'alarmingly common'.
- Reducing smoking key to closing the gap
National Indigenous Times , 13 March 2008
NineMSN, 13 March 2008
The AAP reported that an inaugural Parliamentary Showcase of Aboriginal Health Research would be held in Canberra, on Thursday 14 March. The AAP article highlighted that Viki Briggs, manager of the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Tobacco Control located at Onemda, would tell attendees, including Health Minister Nicola Roxon, that 'reducing Aboriginal smoking rates is critical to closing the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians'.
- Children's safety should be the priority
The Australian , 14 December 2007, p. 14
In her opinion piece for The Australian, postdoctoral research fellow specialising in Indigenous family violence, Dr Kyllie Cripps, strongly criticises the Queensland judiciary for failing to hand down a custodial sentence to nine men guilty of raping a 10-year-old girl. 'It is a clear signal that, once again, Aboriginal women and girls are denied formal equality and protection through the criminal justice system.'
- Ian talks with the Archbishop
Event on Wednesday 10 October 2007
The Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr Philip Freier, invited Professor Ian Anderson to speak on the Northern Territory intervention as part of a series of Breakfast Conversations. Onemda Elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin was also invited but, unfortunately, was unable to attend. The event was held at Federation Square and, despite the early starting time of 7.30 am, some 200 persons turned up to hear Ian speak.
- 'Grass roots' input key to effective policy for Indigenous Health
The Melbourne Voice, 23 July-6 August 2007
Ian Anderson states that 'there is too much focus on crisis and desperation. This perpetuates a myth. that nothing has changed and nothing works.'
- Australians want to close the gap
The Age , 6 July 2007
Onemda academic Priscilla Pyett draws attention to the 97 recommendations of the Little Children are Sacred, none of which are being implemented by the federal government's intervention in the Northern Territory .
- Using abused children to get elected
The Age, 30 June 2007
In his opinion piece for the Melbourne news paper, Ian Anderson analyses the real nature of the intervention in the Northern Territory, including the setting aside of the recommendations made by the very report used by the Australian government as the justification for the intervention.
- Improvement in Indigenous Health
Interview on Health Report, ABC Radio National, 7 August 2006
'We were most encouraged by the results of the chronic disease death rates that had been increasing. We found that the increases in these Northern Territory Indigenous chronic disease death rates have slowed down since the end of the 1980s', researcher David Thomas told. He gap between the white and black populations is widening however, but mortality rates have slowed down and decreased, probably due to improved access to health services.
- National Curriculum Framework for the inclusion of Indigenous health in medical curricula launched
The University of Melbourne Media Release, 27 August 2004
Former Governor General, Sir William Deane and senior Indigenous health authority, Professor Lowitja O'Donohue launched the new curriculum framework. The project, which was hosted and delivered by Onemda aims to improve, strengthen and develop core and vocational training for medical professionals.
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