A VICTORIAN GP has been recognised for his service and support to Australia’s Indigenous communities after he was awarded a prestigious Victorian Rural Health Award.<\/p>\n
Acting medical director Dr Ed Poliness, 49, has been honoured for his work at the Geelong-based Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative.<\/p>\n
Dr Poliness won the Closing the Gap Award, which recognises a health professional who has made significant contributions in providing care to Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander patients and Communities in which they practice.<\/p>\n
Dr Poliness said he was thrilled to win the award on behalf of his hard-working team and the local community.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been working at Wathaurong for about 10 years and in Aboriginal health generally for about 20 years, and I love working in an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisation (ACCO),” he said.<\/p>\n
“Members drive and decide the important things in their health so it’s a great area to work in.<\/p>\n
“While I won the award, it’s really the team I work with and the communities I work for that should be winning this award.”<\/p>\n
After starting work in Aboriginal health in 1998 in the Kimberley region in Western Australia, Dr Poliness’s travels have taken him to most states in Australia except South Australia,<\/p>\n
The whole of person approach to Aboriginal health and wellbeing was especially appealing and rewarding, he said.<\/p>\n
“The health service puts together a team that are experts in different areas, and you get to work with Aboriginal health workers who actually understand their patients’ needs.<\/p>\n
“They can often translate things to a doctor which they might not know because they really understand what’s going on for that person and what their
\nneeds are.”<\/p>\n
Dr Poliness said working for an Aboriginal health co-operative was more rewarding than a typical GP role in a private practice.<\/p>\n
“It’s about working for the Community and working for the people and they get to decide the general pathways and structures of the health system looking after their health,” he said.<\/p>\n
“For trainees, there are definitely opportunities in this sector.<\/p>\n
“But for anyone at any stage in their career, it’s something really worth trying and it’s a huge opportunity for Australian doctors.<\/p>\n
“You’re working with one of the oldest communities in the world \u2013 it’s a thrill to be part of something like that.<\/p>\n
Despite a devastating second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria, ACCOs were largely successful in responding to the coronavirus, with just 74 positive cases in Victoria’s Aboriginal and\/or Torres Strait Islander population of 58,000.<\/p>\n
The awards honour the exceptional medical specialists, GPs, nurses, Aboriginal health workers, general practices, practice managers, allied health professionals, GP locums, and medical students working across rural Victoria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A VICTORIAN GP has been recognised for his service and support to Australia’s Indigenous communities after he was awarded a prestigious Victorian Rural Health Award. Acting medical director Dr Ed Poliness, 49, has been honoured for his work at the Geelong-based Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative. Dr Poliness won the Closing the Gap Award, which recognises a […]<\/p>\n