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

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellycommunity and the health system. It is important to stress that this researchoccurred at a specific time in the development of the Aboriginal healthservices at Gilles Plains, and that some of these issues raised in this sectionhave since been resolved.Health policies and programsStaff members at Gilles Plains were employed under national Aboriginal healthprograms through Nunkuwarrin Yunti (APHCAP funding – see below) and/orstate funded through the South Australian Department of Health. The GillesPlains Aboriginal health services were linked to the (national) AboriginalPrimary Health Care Access Program (APHCAP). This program of healthsystem reform through a partnership approach guided the development andprovision of services across the Northern Region of Adelaide from 2004onwards. Nunkuwarrin Yunti is the agency responsible for the overallmanagement and is a key partner in developing and providing services acrossmetropolitan Adelaide. Three broad objectives are;• Reforming and strengthening health systems to make them moreresponsive and better meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople,• Increasing the availability of appropriate PHC services where they arecurrently inadequate,• Continuing to recognise and build upon the strengths and resilience ofAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a respectful and meaningfulway (Nunkuwarrin Yunti 2008).The key result areas for shared business between Nunkuwarrin Yunti and theCentral Northern Adelaide Health Service were maternal and child health witha move toward a population health approach, and chronic disease managementthrough increasing the uptake and use of the Enhanced Primary Care MedicareItem (Nunkuwarrin Yunti 2008). These activities were specifically guided bythe national Healthy for Life Program Framework (Australian Government2005), part of the 05/06 Federal Budget allocation of $104 million to improvethe health of Indigenous mother, babies and children and to improve the earlydetection and management of chronic disease.218