Annual Report 10-11.pdf - WAMS

Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Co-Operative Limited
ANNUAL REPORT 2010/2011
Linkages and Partners
The members recognise the continued Partnership between Western Local Health District and their
organisation. We formally thank Ms Jenni Floyd for her ongoing support of this arrangement.
Members finalised their Business Plan with the assistance of personnel from Indigenous Community
Volunteers (ICV). An application was lodged to fund the Plan which included the employment of
permanent executive support.
Bila Muuji is pleased to announce that a second student, Mr Josh Wyper is the recent recipient
of the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bila Muuji Oral Health Scholarship. Josh travelled to Dubbo
to meet the members and remained for part of the day to observe the governance operations of the
regional consortia. The inaugural scholarship recipient, Stacey Webb, has indicated she would like to
gain employment in the Dubbo area and is maintaining contact with the Western Local Health District
Oral Health section in the event a vacancy may occur that will suit her skills and qualifications.
Regional Programs
Funding is recurrent for the following:
- Oral Health Promotion Officer
- Information and Technology Officer
- GP Registrar program
- Smoking Cessation
Such regional programs offer a two-fold advantage for each individual service. They are shared
across the members as an essential service not normally available to the individual members.
For some, the regional programs are complementary to existing services and offer a supportive
concept to the member service.
The members have ‘Healthy for Life’ programs (focussing Ante Natal care and Chronic Diseases),
which were funded on different occasions and shared across the region in three separate sections,
e.g. Brewarrina, Bourke, Walgett and Orana Haven; Coonamble, Dubbo, Orange and Wellington;
Dareton and Balranald.
The upper sector of Bila Muuji (Brewarrina, Bourke, Orana Haven and Walgett) conduct a Social and
Emotional Well-being program employing Counsellors, Psychologists and Psychiatrists to provide
individual, family, and educational school and community programs.
Staff appointments
WAMS employed permanent personnel, casual workers, part-time staff, contractual and locum
specialists. Medical students from a range of universities spent a variety of time working with,
and observing the clinical and social operations of an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health
Organisation (ACCHO).
WAMS were unable to secure the permanent position of a Doctor during this period and once again
have relied on the commitment and dedication of locums who choose to return on more than one
occasion to our organisation.
The visiting consortium of midwives from Canberra continues to support the Midwifery program
and also mentors the Health Worker in the delivery of ante natal and post natal care. The current
Obstetrician, Dr Simone Mulder is taking leave to wait for the pending birth of her child. She has
kindly arranged for a visiting service during her absence.
WAMS continue to work with Dr Sandra Meihubers, WAMS Dental Consultant, and Ms Jenni Floyd,
from Western Local Area Health District. They assist in securing Dentists, Dental Therapists and
other oral health personnel to work in our clinic. Without this collaborative arrangement, clients
would be required travel some six hours return journey by road for specialist oral health care.
WAMS are grateful to Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV) for arranging personnel to assist
during the planning of their celebrations and for those who volunteered their services during the
actual event. ICV also connected WAMS with persons for carpentry work and archival cataloguing.
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Celebrating 25 years in 2011 – Health is Life is Health
Funded by the Federal Department of Health & Ageing and NSW Health