Government grants totalling $300,000 will be provided to the Victorian Aboriginal Controlled Health Organisation to deliver a dedicated Aboriginal women's health workforce initiative.
The announcement was made on Wednesday at the Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Partnership Forum in Ballarat by Victorian Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas. The initiative is designed to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls can access culturally safe women's health care close to home, by strengthening the Indigenous health workforce through training and support.
Under the program, health clinicians employed by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) will be eligible for one-off grants of up to $5,000. The grants can be used flexibly to upskill in areas of women's health, with up to 50 clinicians expected to benefit.
According to the government, the funding will both expand clinicians' knowledge and skills in women's health and boost the overall capacity of ACCHOs to provide effective care to Indigenous women and girls.
"Aboriginal women know what our communities need and these grants will help to build and strengthen the Aboriginal women's health workforce embedding cultural safety and better care," said VACCHO chief executive, Dr Jill Gallagher AO.
"Self-determination in Aboriginal women's health care is the only way we can ensure we keep our mothers, aunties, sisters and daughters safe, healthy and thriving for generations to come."
The initiative is part of the Victorian government's $153 million women's health package, which also includes 20 new women's health clinics, mobile and virtual services, a dedicated Aboriginal women's health clinic, and expansion of the women's sexual and reproductive health hub network.
"We know that when we listen to Aboriginal Victorians, we get the best health outcomes," Ms Thomas said.
"These grants will upskill 50 clinicians right around Victoria – equipping them with the tools, confidence and skills they need to provide the very best care to First Nations women."
The government said the funding is about building a culturally safe health-care environment that "acknowledges, understands and respects the strength and diversity of Aboriginal peoples, communities and cultures". It added that the initiative is aimed at removing unnecessary barriers preventing Aboriginal people from receiving optimal health and wellbeing.
More information about the Women's Health and Wellbeing Program is available online at health.vic.gov.au/womens-health-and-wellbeing-program/about-the-program.
