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

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kelly‘Why are you working with those women?’My decision to work with the community women as co-researchers wasquestioned by Aboriginal Neighbourhood House staff members (who wereboth Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal). One said the women show you their goodside but really they are very manipulative (AHS D2). Another; some of thecommunity women are verbally attacking us and we find it very distressing(AHS D2). I was told you pandering to their needs, is not helping the situation(AHS D2). More than one staff member said that the community women inquestion did not mix with other community women and monopolised anyservices provided and kept other women away (AHS D2).My involvement with the community women was also questioned byAboriginal managers on and off site. One said your name gets brought up asthe person who is going to solve the problem with these women (Mg2).Another (Mg3) suggested you should not work with this group of communitywomen as they are manipulative and will negatively impact on the research. Iwas told by two managers that some of the women you are working with areinvolved in a community lobby group that have put forward a vote of noconfidence in Aboriginal management. This explained some of the hostility Iwas detecting.Navigating an ethical dilemma as a nurse/researcherAs a health practitioner I heard in campus meetings that management plannedto change the name of the Aboriginal Neighbourhood House to the AboriginalOutreach Health Service in keeping with its newly defined primary care role. Ienquired whether anyone was intending to explain this to communitymembers, and was told that of the plan to put up the sign announcing the namechange, and then deal with the fall out. There was an expectation that I wouldcollude with this non-communication as a co-located campus staff member.This presented me with a significant ethical dilemma. While on one level Irecognised management motivations for preventing community oppositionbefore the name change, I could imagine only too well that this act of noncommunicationwould be felt deeply by community members. As an employee,I was bound to certain confidentialities; as a nurse researcher I was committed177