ABOUT CLOSING THE HEALTH GAP FOR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE
The Closing the Health Gap Campaign was initiated in 2006 in response to the Social Justice Report 2005 which called for the governments of Australia to commit to achieving equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the areas of health and life expectancy within a generation (25 years).
To monitor change, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) set the following measurable targets to monitor improvements in the health and wellbeing of the Indigenous population:
Sustained negative impacts upon the social determinants of health continue to result in poor outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their families and communities. The recent Closing the Gap Prime Minister’s Report 2015 found that there had been limited progress to closing the gap in life expectancy within a generation.
CLOSING THE HEALTH GAP WITHIN MELBOURNE’S INNER NORTH WEST METROPOLITAN REGION
The Inner North West Primary Care Partnership (INWPCP) is committed to engaging with and supporting our local partners to provide better and more effective health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
With support and guidance from a network of agencies committed to health service reform (currently known as the NW Koolin Balit Wellbeing Partnership), the INWPCP has conducted a range of activities to determine the extent to which health services within the catchment are meeting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This information is summarised in the Inner North West Metropolitan Region: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s Health Consumer Perspectives Report and provides the evidence base for further activities conducted in 2013 and 2014 such as:
NORTH WEST METROPOLITAN REGION KOOLIN BALIT PROJECT
In 2014 the Department of Health and Human Services funded four primary care partnerships across Melbourne’s north west to continue implementing activities to Close the Health Gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The four primary care partnerships are:
The INWPCP is participating in this project by conducting activities to support health services to become more culturally aware and responsive – including workforce development to support the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal employees.
For further information or to participate in this project please contact the INW PCP Executive Officer, Emma Fitzsimon on 9389 2261 or by email emmfi@inwpcp.org.au