AMAV VICDOC Winter 2024 - Magazine - Page 26
A STRONG SYSTEM IS ONE THAT'S ACCESSIBLE
TO ALL. IT'S CULTURALLY SAFE AND OFFERS
DIGNITY TO PEOPLE.
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It’s adaptable and trauma-informed and
incorporates and acknowledges the social
determinants of health – understanding
that people's health and health literacy
is affected by factors like the places they
live, the work they do, and the education
they have. As medicine has become more
specialised, it has focused on biology and
deals with individual problems in a vacuum.
We need good multidisciplinary care where
there is clear communication between
teams, providers and government and
between community and providers because,
if we don't understand where the strengths
and challenges are in the community,
it's hard to develop services that respond
appropriately and effectively.
THE ADVERSE AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF
COLONISATION AND RACISM ON COMMUNITIES
NEEDS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED.
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At VAHS, we support many who are
survivors of the Stolen Generation and
their descendants, and those who have
been impacted by intergenerational trauma.
They continue to be impacted by racism
and institutional bias, which impacts mental
health and wellbeing and chronic disease
and creates barriers to accessing care.
ONE OF THE STRENGTHS OF WORKING IN
AN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY-CONTROLLED
ORGANISATION IS THAT FLEXIBILITY IS BUILT
INTO THE SYSTEM WE PROVIDE CARE FROM.
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This means I can spend more time with
a client who presents distressed, whereas
many private practice models might not
have the capacity to meet people in that
way. Our system is set up to be supportive
and responsive, with wraparound services.
If somebody comes in in crisis, we have
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access to community engagement officers
who can support and connect them with
services. We've got drug and alcohol
support workers and access to mental
health support.
MY CLINICAL TIME IS SPENT FACE-TO-FACE WITH
PATIENTS IN THE SERVICE, AND ON COMMUNITY
OUTREACH VISITS.
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I do home visits once a fortnight to Elders
all over Melbourne. We travel to them
when they're not able to get into the
service. Through COVID this became very
important, as many community members
felt vulnerable coming in and being
potentially exposed. There’s also a palliative
care arm. Meeting the community in their
homes as well as in our service gives a
deeper sense of connection and trust,
which allows for more flexible responses
in times of acute need.
WE FORMED MEDICAL ADVOCACY TOGETHER FOR
COMMUNITY HEALTH (MATCH) IN LATE 2022.
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This is a group of 40 or so Victorian GPs
working in Aboriginal and community
health. We've united to raise awareness
about and advocate for the important
model of care our services provide. We feel
it demonstrates how to best deliver care for
all, especially the more marginalised in our
community, and for people experiencing the
most barriers in accessing healthcare. And
yet, funding for such services is decreasing.
We also raise awareness about research and
training needed in general practice and
community health to better meet the needs
of the communities we care for. The reality
is that most medical practitioners come
from privileged backgrounds and have
little exposure to the adverse effects of the
social and political determinants of health.
Better training would support GPs to work
more effectively across the spectrum of
delivering care and reduce system harm.
