The Weekly Update

Dear CRANAplus members,

It’s been a hive of activity and an exciting week in the Adelaide office, with all new FLEC admin staff now on board. Office signage is up and we make quite a visual impact on the estimated 50, 000 vehicles that pass our door each day. You can’t miss us on South Road at Mile End conveniently situated between the city and the airport if you’re passing through, please call in and say hello.

The September edition of the Outback Flyer will feature photos and bios of the all of the new CRANAplus staff and of course you’ll have the opportunity to meet them all at Conference in October. Registrations for Conference continue steadily and the Alice team is happy to help you with any queries you might have with regard to bookings, accommodation options and events.

This week we highlight another of our valued corporate members, NT Medic. NT Medic’s commitment to remote area nursing is demonstrated through an award they offer annually at our conference for the Outstanding Graduate in the topic of Remote Advanced Nursing Practice. NT Medic Healthcare Agency has been placing healthcare professionals in facilities throughout Australia since 1989. Based in Darwin, they offer a great choice of shifts and work opportunities throughout the Northern Territory, North Queensland, and beyond. Contact the legendary Betty or Dani for more details or visit their website.

We would like to welcome Sunrise Health Service as corporate members. Under the direction of Training and Development Officer Tony Hopp, provided both a MEC and REC course to all their staff. Both courses were well received by the 16 Registered Nurses and 6 Aboriginal Health Workers attending. The CRANAplus facilitators would like to thank them for their warm welcome and enthusiasm.

Have you ever thought about working in the magnificent East Pilbara? Here’s the perfect opportunity. Puntukurnu (PAMS) a Community Controlled Aboriginal Medical Service is currently seeking RAN’s for short and permanent contracts. There’s also a permanent position for a Clinical Services Manager. Remember to check out the ‘Employment’ tab on our website for these and other employment opportunities.

Enjoy your weekend and if you have any suggestions, ideas or news you want to share with members please let us know.

Good reading,

Anne-Marie

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Meetings & Conferences

Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (CATSIN)
16 - 18 September 2009
The Sebel & Citigate Albert Park Melbourne, SA
This conference will be dedicated to former patron of CATSIN Sadie Canning MBE. The conference theme is "We can do it- Yes we can!". Keynote address:Tom Calma"Closing the Indigenous health inequality gap by 2030"

13th Annual NT Chronic Diseases Network Conference
10 - 11 September 2009
Darwin, NT
The theme of the 13th Annual Chronic Diseases Network Conference is 'Prevention is the Best Medicine', which reflects the growing recognition that chronic diseases and their underlying factors are preventable.
Chronic diseases not only result in death and disease, they are also a large economic burden on the community and the health system. 70% of the difference in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians can be attributed to chronic diseases.

Changing faces: Dental Hygenists Association of Australia Symposium 2009
11 - 12 September 2009
Adelaide, SA
The Dental Hygenists Association of Australia are holding their 2009 Symposium in Adelaide. The focus is on 'changing faces' and the role that dental hygienists' play in providing dental hygiene care across the life span.
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Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Scheme Anniversary Dinner
October 16, 2009
Brisbane, QLD
To celebrate 65 years of operation in 2009, the Queensland Health Rural Scholarship Scheme is organising an Anniversary Dinner. This is an ideal opportunity for previous scholarship recipients, rural health professionals and anyone associated with Health Care in rural Queensland to come together to celebrate the success of the QHRSS and the impact that it has had on Queensland communities since 1944.

Register deadline is Wednesday 16 September 2009.

 

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Scholarships Available

Nursing Scholarships Focus on Aged Care
A popular Australian Government scholarship scheme aimed at increasing the number of registered nurses in aged care has today been extended for further applications. Click on the title for more information.

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Educational Opportunities

Diabetes Education

The Rural Health Education Foundation Broadcast on September 8 is entitled ‘Blood Glucose Control, Patient Education in Type 2 Diabetes’

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Articles of Interest

Whooping Cough Deaths Spark Vaccination Debate
Three babies have died from whooping cough this year and close to 19,000 cases have been reported. Doctors now fear figures could worsen if parents decide not to immunise their children.

Riverina Foundation Future Uncertain
The Riverina Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs' new leader says a productive creditors' meeting has been held in Narrandera but the organisation's financial future remains unclear.

BasicsCard Sales Top $100 million
The Australian Government today announced more than $100 million has been spent on BasicsCards across Australia. More than $70 million of spending has gone towards food and almost $20 million on clothing.

Aboriginal People More Trusting of Anti-Abuse Cops
The Child Abuse Taskforce for Central Australia was set up in June 2007. Since then, Detective Sergeant Carmen Butcher says officers have done 426 investigations into reports of child sex abuse.

Aboriginal People Unfairly Targeted'
New research has revealed West Australians believe Indigenous people are the most likely group in the state to suffer discrimination.

Public Wants Indigenous Housing Fix
A new opinion poll shows 70 percent of Australians believe improving the living conditions of indigenous people should be a high or very high priority for the Federal Government.

Essendon on the Mark for Reconciliation
Essendon Football Club today became the first AFL club to develop and implement its own Reconciliation Action Plan setting out a practical agenda to strengthen and expand its partnerships with Indigenous Australians.

Germs Costing Hospitals $1b a Year
The spread of germs in hospitals is a health hazard for patients, but it is also proving to be a wealth hazard for Australia's healthcare system.

Kids in Adult Psych Wards A Human Rights Breach
The Tasmanian Children's Commissioner says the State Government is breaching the UN convention on the rights of children by not providing a dedicated youth psychiatric unit.

Spider Phobia Treatment Goes Online
Researchers at the University of Tasmania have developed what they believe is the first ever online program to treat phobias.

Hospital Practices Must Be Standardised
The Australian Nursing Federation is calling for hospital practices to be standardised in the wake of a coronial inquest into the death of a teenager at Albany Regional Hospital in Western Australia's south.

Costs of Treating Kidney Disease Going Up
A new study has found spending on chronic kidney disease in Australia jumped by a third over four years, and costs are still rising. The research by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed that in 2004 almost $900 million was spent managing the disease.

Dementia Cases Predicted to Soar
An Alzheimer's Australia report says the number of Australians with dementia will quadruple to more than 1.1 million people by 2050. There are currently almost 250,000 people living with dementia in Australia. The first baby boomers turn 65 next year, and by 2020 there will be 75,000 baby boomers with dementia.

Aboriginal Babies Being Taken From Mothers in Prison
A Brisbane conference has heard allegations that, across Australia, 27 Aboriginal children were removed from their families over a 48-hour period.

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