During a visit to Western Australia today, the Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, announced an extra 63 health workers are being provided to health services across the state to help close the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

The Australian Government is providing almost $8 million for an extra 63 health workers to be placed in 27 Western Australian health services, including a large number of Aboriginal Health Services. Already 42 of the 63 workers have been recruited.

The 63 positions funded for WA are:

  • 22 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outreach Workers
  • 4 Regional Tobacco Coordinators, 4 Tobacco Action Workers and 8 Healthy Lifestyle Workers (Tackling Smoking and Healthy Lifestyle teams)
  • 13 Project Officers
  • 3 Practice Managers, 3 additional health professionals, 6 Care Coordinators

 

In addition, five Healthy Community Days will be held in Perth, Katanning, Tambellup, Gnowangerup, and Albany to provide opportunities for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents to get involved and learn about some key factors that affect health and wellbeing.

The campaign and the workforce have been funded by the Australian Government’s $805 million Indigenous Chronic Disease Package. More information about the new positions is at http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr11-ws-ws015.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2011&mth=04

 

The Australian Government is also providing an additional $500,000 over three years for the partnership between the Department of Health and the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (AHCWA) to develop health services for Aboriginal people throughout the State.

 

Established in 2005, AHCWA is the peak body for 19 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in WA.