Tzu Chi Dental Fair in Logan a success!
The Logan Refugee Dental Fair was an incredible experience that delivered dental care to 101 refugee patients. It was a team effort to achieve much a wonderful outcome. Thank you to the Tzu Chi Foundation who provided dentists, dental students, childcare assistants and caterers; Metro South Health who provided dentists, therapists, a specialist, a prosthetist, assistants, administration officers, the volunteers, refugee health nurses and the many interpreters (Chin-Haka, Arabic, Hazaragi, Karen, Rohingya, Somali and other languages). Collaboration Success!
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Metro South Refugee Health Service finalists in Queensland Health Awards for Excellence
The Metro South Health Equity & Access Unit, Metro South Refugee Health Service and Metro South Oral Health Service have been placed as finalists in the Queensland Health Awards for Excellence in the ‘Promoting Well-being’ category for their work on integrating an oral health wellness program into a nurse-led refugee health service.
The poster on this work has also been presented at the Australian and New Zealand Hospital Services Research and Policy Conference. DOWNLOAD THE POSTER HERE.
Congratulations to Metro South Refugee Health Service CNC Leeanne Schmidt and her team!
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NDIA Registered Providers access interpreting
TIS National has partnered with the National Disability Insurance Agency to provide funded interpreting services for NDIS participants from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds with NDIS packages and their carer with low English proficiency. .
Note importantly: ‘A participant does not need to have interpreting supports listed as a funded support in their plan to access non-disability related interpreting services’.
NDIS also have information about interpreting on their website for participants here.
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Ministerial Orders – Medicare cards will expire 31.12.2017
Medicare cards for people enrolled under a Ministerial Order will expire on 31 December 2017, including Illegal Maritime Arrivals (IMA’s), Temporary Protection subclass 785 (TPV) and Safe Haven Enterprise subclass 790 (SHEV) visa holders.
These visa holders will need to attend a DHS Service Centre or Medicare office to confirm their eligibility and address, and have a new Medicare card reissued to them.
The Department has advised that people do not need to wait until their card expires to go into a DHS Service Centre or Medicare Centre. For more information see the Human Services website.
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Good news - more time to apply for the electricity rebate for asylum seekers
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More time to apply for backdated $330 electricity rebate
Queenslanders with a Commonwealth Health Care Card and asylum seekers now have an extra six months to apply for a backdated electricity rebate which could save up to $330 a year on their electricity bills. More information here.
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Australian Medical Association (AMA) advocates for asylum seekers on Manus Island
The AMA “is calling for assurances that the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers on Manus Island is being protected amid conditions being described as ‘chaotic’ and ‘dangerous’, as detainees are being forced to move from the closing detention centre to alternative accommodation in the community”. The AMA also requests transparent reporting of the health and wellbeing and living conditions of the asylum seekers residing on Manus Island.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) continues to call for the release of all asylum seekers in mandatory detention.Case studies are available that describe some of the issues doctors have experienced in treating asylum-seeker children. Read more at the RACP website.
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Resources for Health Professionals
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Specialist CALD resource for building cultural capacity and effective work practices
Access Community have designed an interactive document that includes a compilation of resources in a toolkit, which builds cultural capacity, knowledge and effective work practices with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities on issues relating to domestic and family violence.
More Information: Sharing Strength – A Toolkit to Engage CALD Communities Experiencing Domestic & Family Violence. |
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“Your Guide to Breast Health"
BreastScreen Queensland has developed new resources that focus on good breast health by engaging with women from CALD backgrounds using a number of community feedback sessions. The project team collaborated with key community agencies, health care providers and multicultural health workers.
The new resources will be available end of Jan 2018.
More information or pre-order resources email: Nadja.ibrahim@health.qld.gov.au.
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Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) NDIS ready toolkit
These resources have been developed by MDA in partnership with DiverseWerks to assist organisations build capacity to provide culturally appropriate support options for culturally and linguistically diverse communities under the NDIS.
The resources are grouped into the following key areas:
- Organisational planning
- Organisational capacity
- Engagement and planning
More information and download the Toolkit here.
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DSS and TIS National release Free Interpreting Service information packs for Medical Practitioners and Practices
The Department of Social Services recently expanded and simplified patient eligibility requirements so that Medical Practitioners can now access the Free Interpreting Service when providing Medicare-rebateable services in private practice to anyone with a Medicare card. Nursing and practice support staff working with practitioners registered with TIS National can also access the service using the same client code.
New information packs have enough resources for one practice and five practitioners, including:
- Updated Doctor's Priority Line (Free Interpreting Service) brochures and how-to-use cards
- Language identification cards
- 'I need an Interpreter' cards and stickers for patients
- TIS National posters and window stickers to display at your Practice
- ANU Research 'Critical case analysis of adverse events associated with failure to use interpreters for non-English speaking patients.'
Order your pack by emailing tis.lpl@border.gov.au
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Translated Resources for patients
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The Healthy Lunchbox Presentation for Families
 This pictorial resources aims to provide families with information to make nutritious choices when packing children’s lunchboxes. The PowerPoint has been designed for use by CALD community support workers, education and care staff, playgroup leaders and others working with CALD communities to promote healthy lunchbox choices. Available in English, Arabic and Nepali here.
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Multilingual Breastfeeding Booklets
How Breastfeeding Works; produced by the Australian Breastfeeding Association - A booklet resource in 8 languages, featuring side-by-side language/English translation. Languages in addition to English include: Burmese, Arabic, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, Chinese Simplified, and Vietnamese. Available online here.
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Myths and Facts about Autism
This resource outlines some of the beliefs and worries people have about autism and what research tells us is true. Download here.
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2nd Australia and NZ Refugee Trauma Recovery in Resettlement Conference
 The conference theme, Healing in Exile – Current and Future Challenges, will explore the most innovative and successful ways to support people from refugee backgrounds as they recover from trauma and resettle in their new context.
Subscribe to the mailing list at www.refugeetraumaconf.org.au to receive the latest conference information as it comes to hand.
The conference will be held in Brisbane in March 2019 for three days of inspiration and knowledge sharing.
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Rwandan Youth Annual Red Carpet Dinner
When: Saturday 23 December 2017 at 5:30pm
Where: African House - 10 Jean Howie Dr, Morningside QLD 4170, Brisbane
Cost: $40
Bookings: Click here
Brought to you by the Rwandan Association of QLD Inc. (Youth)
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Help restock the Romero Centre Pantry
The Pantry is running dry.
Get together with some friends or organise a collection at work, in your community group at your kids' school. Any and all help is appreciated.
Drop off to Romero Centre - 20 Dutton Street, Dutton Park QLD 4102
Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm
Check out the Mercy Community Services - Romero Centre on Facebook
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Recent Conference Presentations about Refugee Health
- Responding to the needs of all Queenslanders – the refugee health and wellbeing journey D. Sackey,V. Jacobson, P. Peterson, C. Nicholson, L. Schmidt, & M. Jones. Presentation given at the APIC1 – 1st Asia Pacific Conference on Integrated Care held in Brisbane, Nov 2017.
- Building capacity and integration for better outcomes (V. Jacobson & D. Sackey) Presentation at Culture for Kids: Integrating communities and systems 2017 Queensland Child and Youth Clinical Network forum (Nov, 2017)
- Integrating Oral Health wellness into a nurse-led Refugee Health Service (Metro South Health Equity & Access Unit, Metro South Refugee Health Service and Metro South Oral Health Service , Metro South Hospital and Health Service) Paper presentation at HSRAANZ Conference, Nov 2017 – Gold Coast, Qld.
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Refugee Health Research in Australia
The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne Immigrant Health Service has a webpage intended as a clearing house for refugee health research in Australia. Information available in the published peer reviewed literature has been compiled, and links to the relevant PubMed or ERIC abstract are shown.
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Refugee Health Nurse News
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The Refugee Nurses Australia (RNA) network was formed in 2016 by lead Refugee Health Nurses across Australia.
Click here to view the website.
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New counselling service in Brisbane South
NewAccess is a free, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) service developed by beyondblue and delivered in Brisbane South by Belong Acacia Ridge, to help people tackle day-to-day pressures. An Access Coach, specially trained and experienced, will support people in setting practical goals that will get them back on track.
While NewAccess is not a crisis service, it has been established in Brisbane South to support people of culturally and linguistically diverse background experience to overcome those broad challenges in adjusting to life, work and study in Australia and referrals for such cases are welcome.
For more information, see the pamphlet or visit their website.
The Belong team is also happy to arrange to visit your service to provide you more detailed information about the service, including eligibility and referral.
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Meet Homa
With the right support, refugees can make extraordinary contributions and become outstanding members of society.
'Their support led me to follow my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. I am working toward being a cardiologist, mending broken hearts'. Homa Forotan
Read Homa's full story here.
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Positive Stories!
When Abe Gwada arrived in Australia he’d never seen a sheep, or heard of hip hop. Now he’s shearing for a living, and spitting rhymes on the side. Watch Abe here.
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People Power Services
People Power Services is a grassroots social enterprise proudly creating employment outcomes for migrants and refugees and families, who have recently arrived in Australia. More information about People Power here.
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