Victorian Aboriginal Health Service

Our South Morang clinic officially opens TOMORROW and we would love to have Community along to celebrate with us 🎉 Join us at 855 Plenty Road South Morang from 11am for a smoking ceremony, official opening proceedings and lunch as we mark this milestone 🏥 Details linked in the comments ⤵

New season... new job?🌸🤷 VAHS is looking for someone to join our Preventative Health team as a Community Health Promotion Officer - Tackling Indigenous Smoking, based in Traralgon 📍 This is an Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander identified position, which will implement local health promotion activities, focussed on anti-tobacco and anti-vaping, including school and youth programs supporting smoke free homes, workplaces and communities 🚭 We are also hiring a security officer for our Fitzroy site 🔐 This position is responsible for providing security presence at our Fitzroy clinic, to ensure the safety of our clients and staff. You must have a valid Security License and a sound understanding of Aboriginal Community Control 🪪 🔗 See the position descriptions in the comments. Applications for both positions close Sunday 15 September.

VAHS has expert staff across all areas of health looking after Mob, at all stages of their careers 👩⚕️ This Meet Us Monday, we’re yarning with Tooba, who is one of our trainee general practitioners 🩺 Name and job title: Tooba Mollah, a GP registrar, or GP in training 🥼 Which clinic do you work at?: VAHS Fitzroy 🏥 How long have you been working at VAHS and what brought you here?: I have been working at VAHS since this February. I was interested in working in community health, and despite being a non-Indigenous person, I was particular eager to learn more about Indigenous healthcare and the factors that have the most positive impact on Community firsthand. So far, I am finding it very rewarding, despite the challenges, when you get some traction and see the changes it’s a huge win-win. How would you summarise your role at VAHS?: I work as any other GP does here, seeing my own patients or working the duty room. The only difference is, being a trainee, I have more supervision, always working alongside another doctor I can ask questions or for advice if I need. I also attend regular teaching 🧑🏫 What health advice do you have for Mob?: Come in even if you don’t think we can help – you will be surprised at some the resources you have access to through VAHS, and it’s always better to ask. Remember, two (or more) brains on a problem is always better than one!

GUNDITJMARA brothers Javier and Darchi Clarke are hoping to shine some light on the darkness of mental health. They aim to run over 220km in five days (equivalent to five marathons) to raise funds and awareness around mental health and suicide prevention. Their run will start in Ballarat, Victoria, on Tuesday, September 10 (World Suicide Prevention Day), and they aim to arrive in Echuca five days later. They will be supported along the way by their parents, Paul and Clare (who is a nurse), and their mate, Lachie Trotman, who will be riding a bike. They have a Gofundme page (ClarkeRun) to raise money for Lifeline Australia https://lnkd.in/gejKtayy 13 Yarn Going through a tough time? We're here to yarn. If you, or someone you know, are feeling worried or no good, we encourage you to connect with 13YARN on 13 92 76 (24 hours/7 days) and talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter. 🔗 MORE on this story: Koori Mail https://lnkd.in/gFcR69h #KooriMail #TopStories #Sport #DarchiClarke #JavierClarke #WorldSuicidePreventionDay Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) Victorian Aboriginal Health Service 13YARN Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud Spirit) Australia

Brisbane turned into TISbane last week when The Koori Way crew joined TIS teams from NSW, Queensland and Tasmania for the Jurisdictional Workshop 🧑💻 We heard from a range of guest speakers about how new tobacco and vaping laws shape the work we do, shared ideas about how we connect with community and showcased the work we do here in Victoria, particularly the success of our youth programs 👨👧👦 Thanks for having us National Best Practice Unit Tackling Indigenous Smoking 🙏

Did you know that VAHS has a culturally safe and judgement free space for First Nations men to share lunch and yarn together every second Thursday of the month? 👨🏿🤝👨🏾 For Mob Monday this week, we yarned with Darah from our Men’s Unit, who bring Community together and provide a supportive space to yarn, share art and culture, and link up to other support services. Name and job title: Darah Morris, Men’s Unit Team Leader and Case Manager Who is your Mob?: Wiradjuri, Bangerang, Yorta-Yorta 🖤💛❤️ Which clinic/s do you work at?: VAHS Preston How long have you been working at VAHS and what brought you here?: I have been here for four years. I came to VAHS because I wanted to give back to my community. In 1-2 sentences, summarise what you do at VAHS: I work in the Men’s Unit team to provide one on one support for Aboriginal men, linking them with other support services, as well as running the VAHS Men’s Yarning Circle every fortnight. What men’s health advice do you have for Mob? Get linked in. There are different services in the community that you might not know about or be aware of, but sometimes talking to the right person can help connect you with the help you need. Next month, the Men’s Yarning Circle will be held on Thursday 5 and Thursday 19 September at Barrbunin Beek Aboriginal Gathering Place, Heidelberg West 📍 New faces are always welcome, if you’re keen to head along, reach out to [email protected] #vahs #firstnationshealth #closingthegap #menshealth

Did you know that Mob are twice as likely to experience epilepsy as other Australians? 🤔 Sound scary? The scarier thing is, we know very little as to why this is 🥺 That’s why we’re keen for Mob to participate in the Global Epilepsy Needs Survey, endorsed by Epilepsy Foundation of Australia and VAHS 💜 “I encourage Mob to take this opportunity to have their say at a local level in Australia, as well as worldwide, to inform future research into the needs of people living with epilepsy,” VAHS Clinical Director Dr Lewis Rassaby said. “Here at VAHS, we aim to close the gap of the access to specialist epilepsy treatment services for Mob. We have access to quick diagnosis and ongoing treatment by epilepsy specialists, which you can access in the comfort of your usual VAHS clinic. “Nobody living with epilepsy should go it alone, and the more we know, the better.” The survey can be accessed via the link in the comments 🔗

Happy Monday! Today we're yarning with Steve from our youth alcohol, drugs and mental health team. Name and job title: Steve Cornell, Team Leader for youth alcohol or drugs and mental health 👨⚕ Which clinic do you work at?: Preston, but I’m an outreach worker so I’ll go where Community needs us, mainly in the north and north western metro regions. How long have you been working at VAHS and what brought you here?: I’ve worked at VAHS now for just over one year. I came to VAHS because I want to work with Community, having worked in mainstream health prior. I enjoy seeing and learning from the strengths and wisdom of First nations Communities and I feel quite blessed that I get to see the cultural activities and tradition I do through my job 🖤💛❤ In 1-2 sentences, summarise what you do at VAHS: I have two parts to my role, one is being an alcohol and drugs and mental health outreach worker. This is based on a social and emotional wellbeing framework to work holistically with the whole person and their families. The other half is being a team leader, where I have five team members who report to me, so I provide them with clinical expertise, and also ensure their health and wellbeing, given their work on the front line. What mental health and wellbeing advice do you have for Mob? Start the conversation and don’t suffer in silence. There are a lot of help and support options out there, so never give up even if you have had a bad experience in the past, there are other workers and organisations and I genuinely believe there is a worker for every person and every family 🤝 #vahs #mentalhealth #firstnationshealth #closingthegap

We understand the figures in the Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children Inquiry is extremely distressing, and may bring up trauma for readers. You may read the report, see it on the news, or comments in your feeds, and we urge you to prioritise your wellbeing during this difficult time for Mob, whether that means taking a break from social media and the news cycle, or seeking help. VAHS provides culturally safe, confidential social and emotional wellbeing services, as well as a free 24/7 helpline, Yarning Safe N Strong, who you can call at any time on 1800 959 563 ☎ We stand with DjirraVIC and we are here for Mob 🙏

Thank you to the Mob who have already signed up for the VAHS Community Yarns - the Melton, Wyndham Vale, South Morang and Preston sessions are booked out! ❌   We have five more spots up for grabs for the St Albans session on Tuesday 20 August ⌛   Don't miss out on your chance to have your say about your experience accessing community health services 🧑⚕️   Sign up via the link in the comments 🔗