Priority Populations Projects

The Priority Populations Unit is currently leading or supporting a range of projects. See also our research projects.

Cervical screening for Nepalese and Bangladeshi women

  • aims to increase access to and participation in cervical screening for Nepalese and Bangladeshi women was conducted in South Eastern Sydney Local Health District in 2016-2018.
  • video and print resources were co-designed with community members with expert input provided by GPs, Women’s Health Nurses and Cancer Institute NSW program managers. The key message identified in the project was ‘taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of your family’.
  • see the Screening Saves Lives Video Resources here.

Raising Awareness of the Harms of Waterpipe Smoking

  • aims to raise awareness of the harms of waterpipe smoking in young people of Arabic-speaking backgrounds and their social networks through community arts and social marketing
  • led by the Multicultural Health Service (MHS), in partnership with Lebanese Muslim Association, SEaRCH, Sydney Local Health District  (SLHD), South Western Sydney LHD (SWSLHD) and Multicultural Health Communications Service (MHCS);
  • funded by Cancer Institute NSW

Development of Cultural Support Program

  • aims to increase health literacy and access to health care for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities across priority health issues
  • jointly funded by MHS, Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN) and led by SLHD

Mindfulness Interventions in CALD Communities

  • aims to reduce psychological distress in CALD communities
  • 5 week skills development program delivered in-language to Arabic- and Bengali-speaking community groups
  • funded by CESPHN to provide a low intensity mental health intervention
  • led by MHS, in partnership with South East Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) and SLHD Mental Health Services, CESPHN, Western Sydney University (WSU) and community partners

Increasing Cervical Screening During Antenatal and Postnatal Periods, for Never Screened and Underscreened Women

  • target populations are Aboriginal women and women from CALD backgrounds
  • led by Women’s Health program, in partnership with MHS, Aboriginal Health Unit, CESPHN, SEaRCH, maternity services, child and family services, and community partners
  • funded by Cancer Institute NSW

Effective and Efficient  Use of Professional Interpreters in Clinical Care

  • led by MHS, this is a district-wide project in partnership with Diversity Health Coordinators/Managers and hospital facilities
  • includes the development of a training video for Junior Medical Officers and Registrars about use of professional interpreters for consent for surgical procedures

Healthy Lifestyle Project

  • aims to address weight and related issues for newly arrived young people from refugee and vulnerable migrant backgrounds
  • led by MHS, in partnership with Beverly Hills Intensive English Centre,  Kogarah Developmental Assessment Service and others

Review of New and Emerging Communities initiatives

  • aims to identify initiatives across internal and external partners in response to the  New and Emerging Communities Needs and Assets Assessment, conducted in 2016
  • led by MHS, in partnership with internal and external service partners and WSU

Peer Education and Youth Advisory Committee Project

  • trains and supports peer workers to deliver sexual health information and education and provide advice to service providers about youth-friendly health service provision
  • supported by the Youth Health Program, in partnership with HIV and Related Programs Unit, Kirketon Road Centre and other partners

Evaluation of the Youth Point Online Service Directory

  • aims to review the Youth Point online service directory to inform future improvements
  • in partnership with University of Technology Sydney and service partners