Year-in-Review-2021-22 - Flipbook - Page 104
Feature:
Making a Difference
Alexis Joseph
Shuichi Araoka
How long have you worked in health?
How long have you worked in health?
A long time! I have been in Sydney Local Health
District for 9 years working in roles that support
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.
I have worked as a Physiotherapist for 10 years
in both private and public settings.
Where do you work?
I am currently working at Arthritis and Osteoporosis
Centre, Canterbury Hospital.
I work in the Aboriginal Cultural Support Team,
RPA Virtual Hospital.
The team was originally set up in 2021 with support
from the Chief Executive of the District and AMS
Redfern when the Inner West suburbs got hit with
COVID.
We have been working now for over 12 months
with Community and Service Providers to keep
community safe.
What do you do?
I provide support and advice to Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander COVID positive patients while in
isolation, including extended family and community
members. This can be with food relief, phone credit,
medical attention or just having a yarn – which
sometimes is all that is needed.
Why do you do what you do?
Where do you work?
What do you do?
I am on a secondment from RPA Hospital, working as
the acting Clinical Coordinator for the Osteoarthritis
Chronic Care Program. My job is to coordinate and
evaluate the service, I also have a clinical role in
assessing and managing patients with Osteoarthritis
of the hip or knee.
What’s the best part of your day?
Once a week we have a multidisciplinary case
meeting to ensure patients are receiving consistent
and integrated care. These meetings enable the team
members to better synchronise schedule as well as
share knowledge in their respective areas of
expertise, so that patients are able to access more
coordinated and streamlined care. The best part of
case meeting is that I am always learning new
things from other clinicians.
To give support to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander patients making sure they feel culturally safe.
What’s the best part of your day?
Knowing that Mob are looking after Mob and that the
team have supported community members to reach
the best outcomes.
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Sydney Local Health District
