Aboriginal Health Unit

The Aboriginal Health Unit’s primary function is to work across Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) to improve access for Aboriginal People to health services.

We acknowledge the Darug and Gundungurra people as the traditional custodians of the land covered by Western Sydney Local Health District.

Our core functions

Provide expert cultural and strategic advice on policy, program and service delivery decisions to the Chief Executive and the governing Board
Provide secretariat to an Aboriginal Health Governance Committee
Coordinate WSLHD – Aboriginal Maternal & Infant Health Service (AMIHS) Program
Undertake continual engagement and partnering with local communities across the Local Health District
Establish and maintain partnerships with key agencies including:

Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney Co-op Ltd
Aboriginal controlled NGOs
Medicare Locals and Divisions of General Practice
Local government
The education sector including Department of Education and Communities, University of Western Sydney and TAFE WSI
Mental health and drug & alcohol services
Government agencies including Housing and Centrelink
FACS
YenuAllowah Aboriginal Child & Family Centre
Ngalluwal Aboriginal Child & Family Centre

Lead on and/or support the design, implementation and evaluation of tailored programs focusing on priority areas that meet the needs of the local Aboriginal communities, the obligations of the Local Health Districts performance agreements and other mechanisms including Close the Gap and COAG funded program indicators. Priority areas include chronic disease prevention, otitis media, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, tobacco use, alcohol, oral health and injury prevention
Undertake and foster research activities to expand the intervention evidence base in relation to effective Aboriginal population health and clinical approaches
Provide consultancy and undertaking capacity building activities supporting services to deliver best practice clinical and preventive activities that are culturally specific to the Aboriginal communities within Western Sydney LHD and Nepean Blue Mountains LHD
Support service planning to address Aboriginal health needs
Provide supervision and mentoring of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal LHD staff external to the Aboriginal Health Unit
Provide administrative management and operational support for key programs including:

Bulbwul Werowe Aboriginal Maternal Infant Health Program. Bulbwul Werowe means ‘strong baby’ in the Darug language. We have a team of health professionals providing supportive pregnancy and after care to Aboriginal Women (or women with Aboriginal partners) who have chosen to have their baby at Blacktown Hospital. Our services provides a culturally sensitive, women centred approach underpinned by a team experienced in midwifery, mental health, drug and alcohol services all of which are supported by an Aboriginal Health Worker.
Otitis Media (OM) rates are much higher for Aboriginal children than non-Aboriginal children, which has the potential to limit their health and educational achievement. The NSW Aboriginal Ear Health Program Guidelines have been put together with the aim to:

reduce the number of young Aboriginal children being adversely affected by otitis media by reducing lifestyle risk factors amongst parents, carers and their extended families
improve the level of awareness about otitis media amongst the Aboriginal community, health and education professionals, thereby supporting a preventive approach and improved early identification
improve the effectives of services which lessen the impacts of otitis media on health and learning outcomes