Providing culturally appropriate care

BALLARAT and District Aboriginal Cooperative, or BADAC, is holding cultural awareness training for first call practitioners next week.

The session, which costs $220, is a full day of face-to-face training for doctors, practice mangers, pharmacists, nurses and other practitioners about culturally appropriate primary care.

It has been organised in collaboration with Primary Health Networks, or PHN.

“The PHN have reached out to aboriginal organisations across the Southwest to develop cultural awareness training for medical practitioners front of house staff, specialists and everyone,” said Shu Brown, chief executive of culture, public relations and engagement at BADAC.

“It will be delivered by local experts in the area.”

Topics include cultural and colonial history, inter-generational trauma, culturally safer practices, health equity and cultural bias awareness.

Research indicated that in 2019, 20 per cent of indigenous people or their families reported experiences of racial discrimination with medical practitioners.

“This session is for first responders so it’s for anyone who works in that first point of contact and how to work with the community, how to identify issues and how to be culturally safe when speaking to the community,” said Mr Brown.

“Every area might be different and that’s why we’ve tailored it to each region.”

Mr Brown said it’s important that healthcare practitioners have this training so aboriginal people feel safe when visiting a provider.

“We run our own medical service here for our aboriginal community and we get GPs coming in to learn from us,” he said.

“Then aboriginal people don’t have to rely on the aboriginal service and come here, they can feel safe at all services.”

The training day will be held Wednesday 4 October. To book visit bit.ly/3Lv07Bg.