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

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellypolicy focused on describing and developing solutions to Australian women’shealth needs (Black 2007; Commonwealth Department of Health HousingLocal Government and Community Services 1989). Strategies included healthpromotion and prevention, consumer information, community development,equity and access to appropriate and affordable services. Differences in healthstatus and health outcomes were seen to be linked to gender, age,socioeconomic factors, ethnicity, disability, location and environment ratherthan on individual behaviour and actions. Women’s participation and rights ashealth consumers, health carers and decision makers were recognised (Black2007). Consideration of social, environmental, economic and biological factorssignalled a considerable paradigm shift from a biomedical to a social model ofhealth. Women’s health centres and teams increased throughout SouthAustralia in response to the policy and Federal funding. Multidisciplinarywomen’s health programs focused on comprehensive primary health care andaddressing women’s priorities. Some programs focused specifically onAboriginal women’s needs.At the Third National Women’s Health Conference in 1995, delegates reflectedon whether the National Women’s Health Policy had in fact followed a socialmodel of heath with some arguing that it was focused almost entirely on thehealth care system and did not extend its influence to other policy areas thatstrongly effect health, such as housing, education and economic (Beaumont1995). It was noted that the policy did not produce equal gains for Aboriginalwomen and a recommendation was made that a specific National Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander Women’s Health Policy and funded program beimplemented. However, with the change of government, and an increasingemphasis on selective primary care and mainstream services, Aboriginalspecific and women’s health services and programs were drastically de-funded,and programs re-directed to mainstream services(Rogers-Clark 1998). Thismeant that the few comprehensive primary health care programs that focusedon the specific needs of Aboriginal women were also de-funded. Anotherround of collaboration and relationships between health services andAboriginal community women was built up, and then dismantled.83