Queensland's largest hospital and health service has launched a new campaign, 'Stop Racism. It Starts with Me', aimed at addressing racism in healthcare and improving cultural safety for Indigenous people.
Yidinji woman and Executive Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Sherry Holzapfel, said the policy is a direct response to long-standing harm.
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have faced racism and inequity in health systems for generations, in how we're treated, how our voices are heard, and how decisions are made about our care," Ms Holzapfel said.
"We deserve a health system where cultural knowledge is respected, and voices are heard.
"This campaign is about safety, justice and health, and ensuring all people feel safe and cared for in our hospitals and clinics."
Unveiled ahead of NAIDOC Week, the campaign is part of the revised Metro North Health Equity Strategy.
It was co-designed over six months with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, patients and community members.
The strategy is built on a truth-telling process grounded in lived experience.
One participant said racism leaves more than scars, describing the emotional toll of navigating two worlds.
"It feels like you are constantly living in two worlds - one where your cultural responsibilities are significant to you, your family, larger kinship group and community... and another world where you feel less than," they said.
Metro North Health Chief Executive Ms Jackie Hanson said the campaign reflects a broader commitment to accountability and change.
"We have zero tolerance towards racism within our hospitals and health services," Ms Hanson said.
"Racism has no place in healthcare, yet we know it exists in the stories people have shared, and in the inequities we continue to see, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other racialised communities.
"That's why we're embedding anti-racism in how we recruit, train, lead and deliver care."
The campaign includes a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander anti-racism policy and a formal reporting mechanism for incidents of racism.
With more than 25,000 staff, Metro North Health is using the campaign to drive cultural change through education and storytelling.
A series of short films shaped by community voices will be released across the workforce.
Principal Culture, Engagement and Wellbeing Advisor, Nikita King, one of 31 campaign ambassadors, said the campaign is about taking action.
"I actively speak up against racist behaviour and call it out for what it is," Ms King said.
"I am driving equality by leaning on my colleagues and the Metro North Health Peer Responder network to walk beside us on this journey to close the gap and put a stop to racist behaviour.
"I feel very grateful to be in a space that allows me to walk as an active ally."
While the initial focus is on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, future stages of the campaign will expand to address racism experienced by culturally and linguistically diverse communities and other racialised groups.
