Koori NEWS SEPTEMBER 2020

COVID-19 TRY OUT TELEHEALTH! DURING COVID-19, OUR The main thing is to keep looking DOCTORS, HEALTH SUPPORT after your usual health care needs, chronic conditions, and to get WORKERS, MENTAL HEALTH checked out if you have something AND ALLIED HEALTH you are worried about. PRACTITIONERS ARE DOING If you need an appointment with any A LOT OF CHECK-UPS AND of our MDAS Health services call us, CONSULTATIONS BY PHONE OR and we will work something out that BY TELEHEALTH. works for you. In this issue... SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL Telehealth means you can talk to And please remember, keep up the good habits – mask up whenever you WELLBEING TEAMS BUSY your doctor as you would on a phone PAGE 2 call, but you can see each other leave home, and keep up the social on video. distancing, good hand hygiene and FINDING NEW WAYS TO CARE staying home whenever you can. PAGE 3 It’s different, but it works well. Pictured: Top: Dr Islam, And it means you can have your WOMEN GETTING BACK Middle: Leonie, Hack and Toni from our appointment from wherever you are, Swan Hill- team TO BREASTSCREEN as long as you have a phone and Bottom: Telehealth is available from almost PAGE 3 internet. anywhere - Mildura Practice Nurse Alex McWilliam and our locum Dr Tim Dewhurst JOIN IN OUR PLAYGROUP… There are plenty of us who don’t ONLINE! have the internet, but there are PAGE 4 always ways around – just talk to us!

MDAS newsletter_SEPT 2020_FIN.indd 1 31/8/20 11:22 am FINDING NEW Koori WAYS TO CARE 267 EMPLOYEES 71% 29% Our Aged Care and Disability Services teams are amazing! Our Elders and N E W S OF STAFF (131 PEOPLE) ARE ABORIGINAL Disability Services clients need to stay OR TORRES STRIAGHT ISLANDER home to stay safe during COVID-19, but 49% many of them are definitely struggling with isolation. Support worker Judy “LARGEST EMPLOYER OF ABORIGINAL AND Stafford, from our Mildura team found TORRES STRAIGHT ISLANDER PEOPLE IN some clients were missing the library, MASK UP NORTH WEST ” bookshops or swapping books with SOCIAL AND friends…so she started a book swap EMOTIONAL Thanks everyone for being part of Also remember, during Stage Three, club! MDAS staff, community and clients the solution with masking up under there are only four reasons to leave are all contributing to our growing stock WELLBEING of books and the bookworms are loving Stage Three COVID-19 restrictions. home: At MDAS we embrace four values, MDAS SNAPSHOT it! Judy’s pictured dropping off a book TEAMS BUSY We know it’s going to be a long haul, • For work or school which drive our culture, are central HERE FOR OUR MOBS ACROSS to Aunty June. IT’S BEEN A TOUGH YEAR but it’s something we can all do to (if you can’t do it from home) to how we make decisions and SO FAR FOR EVERYONE, make a difference. MDAS has masks THE ensure services are delivered in a Things are a little different with • Caregiving or medical care socially-responsible way. AND OUR SOCIAL AND available for community members MDAS is here to provide quality COVID-19, but our services are still EMOTIONAL WELLBEING who are at high-risk from coronavirus • To shop for essential good being delivered under Home Care TEAMS HAVE HAD A services to meet the needs of • Optimism – so if you need a mask please get in and services; and community members, and we are Packages or Commonwealth Home BUSY TIME, WORKING touch. • Community Support Programme including personal • For exercise actively working towards our vision: TO SUPPORT NEW AND care, domestic assistance and home We’re also working a little differently “Generations of vibrant, healthy and • Respect for Culture EXISTING CLIENTS. Pictured: Kids under 12 aren’t required maintenance. Support worker Russell across MDAS at the moment, so strong Aboriginal communities”. The triggers for depression to mask up…but Lottie and Pippa from • Compassion Taylor is pictured with Garry. We’ll have please make sure, if you need to talk Mildura are in! and anxiety are around all of • We provide 30,000 episodes of our social support groups back up and to any of our staff or services, that you We are also proud to be us at the moment. There are Swan Hill Aboriginal Health Worker Tahlia health care a year running as soon as it’s safe – but in the call us first. Our doors are closed, strengthening our community heaps of online resources from Newman and Health Promotions Officer meantime, if you’re struggling a bit and but we are still here for mobs across Suszanna Aertssen • We have nearly 700 clients from within, as a key employer of organisations like Beyond Blue need some support, that’s what we’re the Mallee…so pick up the phone! accessing social and emotional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and the headspace Yarnsafe here for, so please get in touch. project that might give you some wellbeing services people in north west Victoria. ideas and healthy habits to • We provide family support to more manage stress and anxiety. KEEP AN EYE ON GOOD NEWS than 100 families across the Mallee. But if you’re feeling sad, tired, YOUR RETINAS! stressed or angry for a long ON VACCINATION time, that’s the time to reach RATES You can tell a lot about someone out. from their eyes...especially about WOMEN GETTING hadn’t a breast screen in a long time – How awesome to see a win for mob their health. and for some, it was their first ever. Our SEWB teams are working on childhood immunisation rates. BACK TO hard to smooth the pathway MDAS Mildura and Swan Hill The campaign was aided by a $1000 for people wanting to access both have Diabetic Retinopathy BREASTSCREEN competition run by MDAS, BSV and The latest Federal Department of Cameras - which is especially support services for mental Health figures show immunisation AWESOME TO SEE OUR VACCHO earlier this year. Swan Hill health, recovery and alcohol important for clients with diabetes. artist Sandra Kropinyeri, Kerang artist rates for Aboriginal and Torres It’s so important for diabetics to WOMEN FEELING MORE and other drugs services. If you Strait Islander children have COMFORTABLE ABOUT Tahlia Wise and Mildura artist Simone think you could use a hand, get have regular eye checks, because increased substantially and are at it’s important in preventing early BREAST SCREENING, Spencer had their works chosen, and in touch with our SEWB teams THANKS TO OUR BEAUTIFUL each woman screened was given one for a yarn. record levels. blindness. Aunty Elsa Kirby is the face on the banner promoting our SHAWL PROMOTION, of the unique and beautiful shawls. Our MDAS Swan Hill SEWB Team, still Coverage for Aboriginal and Torres Swan Hill program, which is pictured IN CONJUNCTION WITH Strait Islander children at five years Pictured: Aunty Lil Murray proudly wearing here for community with our Health Trainees Taylah Baird BREASTSCREEN VICTORIA. her shawl, with MDAS Kerang Health has risen to 96.90 per cent – higher and Tahlia Newman. Promotions officer Toni Webster, and Jo, About 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait than the national coverage rate for BreastScreen Victoria radiographer all five-year-old children. Islander women from Swan Hill and Kerang visited the BreastScreen Immunisation saves and protects Victoria bus when it visited Swan lives and is an essential weapon Hill early in August, and 57 Mildura in the fight against COVID-19 – women booked in, well up on the 32 it’s more important than ever to who attended back in 2018. maintain our immunity against preventable diseases. And if you The goal was to reach women who still need a flu vaccination, get in are not attending breast screening touch straight away. clinics or the van on its regular visits and most of the women who came

MDAS NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2020

MDAS newsletter_SEPT 2020_FIN.indd 2-3 31/8/20 11:22 am Around JOIN IN OUR MDAS PLAYGROUP… ONLINE! Social distancing has made it hard for our usual playgroup activities – but our Early Years teams are still bringing fun and learning to our little ones. Each Monday at 10am on our Facebook page, there’s a new Dreamtime story DON’T FORGET from our Playgroup facilitators Marissa and Elvie. On Tuesday at 10am, there’s TO ENROL FOR an activity to follow up from the story (and if you need some resources to join KINDER! in, please get in touch with our Early Kindergartens across the Mallee Years teams). already have heavy bookings for 2021 – so don’t miss out! Book And on Fridays at 10.20 am, it’s Musical your child in now for three-year-old Playgroup with Catherine and Hannah and four-year-old kinder. If you from Arts and Learning. need any help with the process, get We’d love you to join in, or you can in touch and our Early Years teams watch later by looking on our can give you a hand. Facebook videos.

Aboriginal tenants at risk of eviction Local Justice Worker program Personal Trainers OUR SERVICES Transitional support (Mildura) (Swan Hill Under Family services) Road to deadly Health FAMILY AND COMMUNITY AOD Dual Diagnosis Model of Care Deadly choices (school programs) SERVICES (Mildura Youth 12 - 25) (Swan Hill Adult 16 - 65) MDAS Health program FAMILY VIOLENCE SEWB Mental Health Access CARE AND CULTURE Nutrition & Public Health Advisor Meminar Ngangg Gimba – Refuge (Swan Hill) Aboriginal Children Specialist Advice Meminar Ngangg Gimba – Outreach Clinical & Therapeutic Mental Health Support Service (ACSASS) AGED AND DISABILITY (Mildura/ Robinvale/ Swan Hill/ Kerang) (Swan Hill) Aboriginal Family Led Decision Commonwealth Home Support Meminar Ngangg Gimba – Cultural Mental Health Community Support Making (AFLDM) Programme (CHSP) Healing Group Work Service (Swan Hill & Mildura) Cultural Support Planning (CSP) Home and Community Care Program Men’s Family Violence Case for Younger People (HACC-PYP) Kinship Care Management HEALTH Home Based Care (Foster Care) Men’s Family Violence Cultural GP CLINICS Therapeutic Residential Care Behaviour Change Group Work Nurse Well Women’s Clinic Therapeutic Residential Case Men’s Family Violence Cultural Aboriginal Health Workers Immunisation Clinic Management Healing Group Work Outreach Workers First Supports Adolescent Family Violence Case Chronic Disease Management TACKLING SMOKING AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLES SERVICES Kinship Reunification Management Maternal Child Health Quit Smoking Support FAMILY AND YOUTH Adolescent Family Violence Culture Nurse Health Checks Healing Group Work Family Services Transport EARLY YEARS Integrated family services SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELLBEING SPECIALIST SERVICES Maternity Services (Swan Hill & Mildura) Stronger Families Koori Women’s Diversion (Mildura) Drug And Alcohol Worker Maternal and Child Health (Swan Hill & Mildura) Family Preservation Mental Health Demonstration Psychologist In Home Support program YOUTH SERVICES Project (Mildura) Maternal And Child Health Nurse (Swan Hill & Mildura) Early School Leavers Alcohol and other Drugs Podiatrist Treatment Service Cradle to Kinder (Swan Hill & Mildura) Youth Support Program Cardiologist (Mildura Swan Hill/ Kerang Robinvale) Koori Supported playgroups Youth Justice Urologist Bringing them Home (Swan Hill & Mildura) Koori Connect Paediatrician (Mildura Swan Hill/ Kerang Robinvale) Koori Preschool Assistant program Koori Night Patrol Aboriginal Communities Gambling Optometrist (Mildura) Youth Justice Robinvale Awareness program (Mildura) Cardiologist HIPPY (Home Interactive Program HOUSING SUPPORT Family Wellbeing program Audiologist for Parents and Youngsters)(Mildura) Crisis Support (Mildura Swan Hill/ Kerang Robinvale) Physiotherapist Connected Beginnings (Mildura)

OPENING HOURS MILDURA ROBINVALE SWAN HILL KERANG Mon - Thur 9am - 5pm 120 Madden Avenue 77 Perrin Street 70 Road 9 Nolan Street Friday 9am - 4pm 5018 4100 5026 1848 5032 8600 5450 3019

TO HAVE ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE MDAS NEWSLETTER Please contact Terry or Jacinta Gange, NewsAlert PR Mildura www.mdas.org.au 0498 490 672 or email [email protected]

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