The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) has secured $300,000 to deliver a dedicated Aboriginal women’s health workforce development initiative.
The initiative was developed in consultation with the Victorian Government and aims to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls living in Victoria can access culturally safe women’s health care closer to home by strengthening the workforce providing this critical care.
VACCHO CEO, Dr Jill Gallagher AO is pleased that the program will offer one-off grants of up to $5,000 per clinician employed by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs)
“Aboriginal women know what our Communities need and these grants will help to build and strengthen the Aboriginal women’s health workforce embedding cultural safety and better care.”
“Self-determination in Aboriginal women’s health care is the only way we can ensure we keep our mothers, aunties, sisters and daughters safe, healthy and thriving for generations to come,” Dr Gallagher said.
The grants will support up to 50 clinicians across the ACCHO sector to build their knowledge and skills in women’s health, while also enhancing organisational capacity. They will also help clinicians and ACCHOs to better respond to the health needs of Aboriginal women and girls and address the identified gaps.
This initiative is part of the wider Victorian Government’s $153 million commitment over four years to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of all Victorian women.
The package is supporting the delivery of 20 new women’s health clinics, as well as the mobile and virtual women’s health clinics, a dedicated and first of its kind Aboriginal women’s health clinic, the expansion of the women’s sexual and reproductive health hub network and the doubling the number of laparoscopies for endometriosis.
The Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas said, “We’re proud to support Aboriginal health organisations to grow and strengthen their women’s health workforce -these grants will help clinicians build their skills and confidence, so they can provide the best care.”
“This investment is about making sure Aboriginal women and girls receive care that reflects their needs, values and culture. By backing the workforce, we’re backing better health outcomes for generations to come.”
Creating a culturally safe health care environment which acknowledges, understands and respects the strength and diversity of Aboriginal peoples, Communities and cultures is central to Victoria’s ongoing journey to remove unnecessary barriers to the optimal health and wellbeing of all Aboriginal people in Victoria.
