Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellycommunity and health service vision of the neighbourhood house grew andstrengthened.In 2000 a community garden/reconciliation project involving collaborativeplanning and decision making and cultural awareness training was initiated.The old car park in the middle of the campus was dug up and a communitygarden established. The opening ceremony involved Aboriginal communitymembers providing a welcome and dance. Around the same time, primaryhealth care services at the site were reduced from five days per week to threedue to another health service amalgamation within Adelaide CentralCommunity Health Services. The conflict between local needs and healthservice responsiveness due to financial and resource issues continued. TheGilles Plains Community Campus as a whole met with the South AustralianCommunity Health Research Unit (SACHRU) in 2005 to discuss ways ofimproving collaboration and use of resources across the campus betweenhealth, education, welfare and community groups (Gilles Plains CommunityHealth Centre 2004). Recommendations were made, some of which wereimplemented, while others were lost in subsequent policy and staff changes(reflective journal).In 2005 when this research began the Gilles Plains Community Campusconsisted of a ‘mainstream’ community health service that had been inexistence in one form or another for approximately twenty five years and anewly developing Aboriginal Neighbourhood House. These were positioned inremodelled weatherboard school buildings. The volunteer run North EastCommunity Assistance Program (NECAP) continued to provide food andfinancial assistance, a thrift shop and household goods, with some grantassistance. Also on campus was the Gilles Plains primary school, preschool,child care centre, and an Anglican Aboriginal ministry (until it closed in 2007).In the state-wide reshuffle of health services in 2006/7, the Gilles PlainsCommunity Health Services was to be realigned with the northern healthservices, but community health staff and management successfully argued thatthe service needed to remain connected to other central and northern servicesaccessed by local people. During the health service reshuffle, the wholecampus was refocused to prioritise the needs of young children under the age150