BCHS Quality of care 2024 digital - Flipbook - Page 21
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Assistance through the cancer journey
The Cancer Support for People of Refugee Background
aims to improve health equity across the cancer
continuum by supporting former refugees to better
understand cancer, prevention, early intervention,
and care pathways that are culturally safe and easily
understood. The program also supports clinicians and
screening services to better understand and engage
with communities of refugee background.
2023-24 activities included:
•
Literature scope.
•
Community needs analysis with nine focus groups.
•
Bendigo Health staff consultations.
•
Service provider needs analysis with five focus
groups and 33 survey participants.
•
Individual support for four Karen patients
diagnosed with cancer.
Resources are now being developed and community
sessions are being delivered in language, and hospital
and cancer screening services are being trained and
supported to better work with communities.
Preparing people of refugee backgrounds
for emergencies
A BCHS Refugee and Cultural Diversity program
has been equipping former refugee communities
with the knowledge to survive Australia’s extreme
weather events.
Learnings and recommendations
The Emergency Preparedness Program has become
essential for preparing new arrivals for potential
disasters.
•
Emergency warning systems need to be
more accessible for all refugee community
members, with a focus on a more accessible
Vic Emergency App.
•
The program model needs to be replicated
for additional vulnerable ethnic/language
groups and new arrivals.
•
The model should be scaled up and tested in
other regional and metropolitan areas.
•
Emergency preparedness programs should
be a core component of refugee settlement
programs across Australia.
After four years of implementing the program,
BCHS has learnt:
Since its inception in 2020, the program has hosted
information sessions, trained community champions
and produced fact sheets and videos in the Karen,
Dinka and Dari languages.
It’s led by our staff of refugee lived experience, in
partnership with experts from the CFA, VICSES and
City of Greater Bendigo.
During 2023-24 approximately 5000 people viewed
the emergency preparedness videos online, 1000
attended information sessions and 15 community
champions shared knowledge with hundreds more
in their communities.
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