Partnering with Aboriginal people and communities
We harness the voices of Aboriginal people and Aboriginal health staff to understand the needs of community, and co-design culturally appropriate healthcare innovations.
Understanding the health needs of Aboriginal people
Our Aboriginal Chronic Conditions Network brings together Aboriginal staff from across NSW Health, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and other community organisations to learn, connect, build cultural capability and showcase Aboriginal-led innovations.
- 200+ members joined the new Aboriginal Mental Health and Social Emotional Well-being (AMHSEWB) Community of Practice, launched in partnership with the Aboriginal Mental Health Branch.
- We partnered with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council to host the annual Aboriginal Workforce and Chronic Care Models Conference; bringing together 28 speakers and 450+ attendees from the Aboriginal health workforce.
Co-designing culturally appropriate care for Aboriginal people
We partner with the Aboriginal community and health services to develop culturally appropriate resources and initiatives to improve care and health outcomes.
- The Yellow Gum Healing Alcohol and Drug Cognitive Enhancement (ACE) Program highlighted the importance of developing programs in partnership with the Aboriginal community to ensure treatment options are appropriate and cultural values are incorporated.
- We continued to spread and scale the Finding your way Shared Decision Making Model. Phase two focused on developing capabilities and a learning map for using this process that empowers Aboriginal people to make informed decisions based on their values and beliefs.
Congratulations to the team behind the Gadjigadji – My Rehab, My Journey project, named as finalist in the 2023 NSW Health Awards. This web resource was developed by the ACI in partnership with Aboriginal people to improve their rehabilitation journey in hospital.
Watch the NSW Health Awards Finalist Gadjigadji video
“The ACI executive is committed to leading a genuine approach to achieve positive, sustainable outcomes with Aboriginal communities.”
Dr Jean-Frédéric Levesque, Chief Executive, ACI and Deputy Secretary, Clinical Innovation and Research
Improving cultural competency
We updated and relaunched our internal Framework for working with Aboriginal People and Communities, along with a practical toolkit to support its use.
Led by our Aboriginal Cultural Capability Advocates group, the framework helps us to develop and improve our cultural responsiveness; enhance our services to support healthcare delivery; strengthen partnerships; and seek diverse perspectives to plan and inform our work with and for Aboriginal people and communities.