Celebrating 25 years of culturally sensitive care
Our Aboriginal Health Unit (AHU) has proudly been providing leadership, advocacy, cultural guidance, and strategic advice across the District for 25 years.
A special celebration to acknowledge this milestone was recently held at the St George Motor Boat Club, where over 110 guests were welcomed by Uncle Peter McKenzie from La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council. A traditional smoking ceremony and cultural performance were provided by an Aboriginal owned performance company, Koomurri Entertainment.
Mr Kevin Heath from the HIV and Related Programs (HARP) unit was the Master of Ceremonies. Guest speakers included Mrs Gail Daylight, Aboriginal Health Unit Manager from 1996 to 2015, who reflected on her time in the role, achievements of the unit, and growth of the Aboriginal health workforce. Aunty Barbara Simms spoke about her experiences working in partnership with SESLHD and the community.
Mr Tobi Wilson, Chief Executive, SESLHD, Mr Tim Croft, Manager, Aboriginal Health Unit, and Dr Marianne Gale, Director, Population and Community Health all spoke about the importance of the unit, its standing in the community, the growth of the Aboriginal health workforce and the opportunities that lie ahead.
“Through the hard work of our Aboriginal Health Unit, our District recognises that Aboriginal culture and communities are diverse across NSW, and even within our local area there is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach,” Mr Wilson said.
“I look forward to continuing to learn from local leaders and improving in our efforts to support health and well-being for local Aboriginal communities. I would like to thank our hard working Aboriginal Health Unit, it’s been a busy 25 years.”
The AHU advocates for changes in policy and practice to close the gap and achieve better health and well-being outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Critical to this is addressing health inequities, reinforcing that Aboriginal health is everyone’s business, and working in partnership with community.
The AHU supports the Aboriginal workforce and coordinates initiatives to enhance the delivery of culturally safe health care to the Aboriginal communities we serve.
Click here to find out more about the Aboriginal Health Unit.
