The Weekly Update

Dear members,

Plans for the 28th CRANAplus Conference, October 13-16 in Adelaide are underway. Watch the website for details!

One of the annual highlights of our conference is the CRANAplus and Aurora Awards. The purpose of the CRANAplus Awards are to recognise remote health professionals who have made a special contribution to the improvement of health outcomes, or a significant contribution to their profession in general. These awards offer you the opportunity to nominate a fellow practitioner as a way for you demonstrate your admiration and respect for their hard work and achievements.

The CRANAplus Award categories are Clinical Excellence, Research and Education, Management, Primary Health Care Champion, Novice/Encouragement Award and Collaborative Team Award. The addition this year of a Mentoring category offer yet another way to honor a colleague.

The Aurora Award acknowledges a remote health professional whom colleagues and peers identify as “a shining light” in their field. The Awards presentation ceremony is held during the Conference Dinner and proves a popular and often moving part of the evening’s proceedings. Give some thought to those individuals you know or work with, and take this opportunity to acknowledge their invaluable contribution to remote health.

Nomination forms for both awards are now available on the CRANAplus website. Please note that nominations MUST be submitted to the in Alice Springs office by 1 September. Nominations will NOT be accepted at conference. This change allows for better organisation, more time for the selection of award recipient.

The FLEC team have advised that the MEC courses in Bruny Island and Alice Springs are fully booked but there are still a few places available for the Mildura course in April. REC courses are filling rapidly as well but there are still a few places available for Thursday Island in March. Remember the courses held around conference time are very popular so book soon to avoid disappointment.

Don't forget to check the emplolyment section for the new postings.

Best wishes from the CRANAplus Team!

Anne-Marie Borchers,

Business Manager, CRANAplus
 

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CORRECTION

Please note that the January 15 entry entitled “CRANAplus Members Published in AMJ" should have read as follows:
CRANAplus members Timothy Skinner, Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health and Isabelle Ellis, University of Western Australia co-authored an article entitled "Tale of Two Courthouses: A Critique of the Underlying Assumptions in Chronic Disease Self-Management for Aboriginal People".

Timothy Skinner's name was inadvertently changed; for that, the editorial staff of CRANAplus expresses their sincerest apologises.

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Scholarships Available

CRANAplus/YNA Undergraduate Scholarships
Each year CRANAplus in partnership with Your Nursing Agency (YNA) offer a total of six $1000 scholarships. These scholarships are available to students who as part of their undergraduate course of study in a health discipline at an Australian University, undertake a remote location placement.

SA Nursing and Midwifery Premier’s Scholarships 2009/2010
The Premier of South Australia is committed to building a valued and sustainable nursing and midwifery workforce. Scholarships are being offered to nurses and midwives to explore innovative practices within their chosen field, either nationally or internationally.

NSW Regional Dentistry Scholarship
The NSW Regional Dentistry Scholarship aims to support a student with strong links to regional New South Wales to train for a professional dental career. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student commencing dentistry studies to help offset their costs in establishing themselves in their course. Applications close 24 February 2010.

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Educational Opportunities

Aged Care Assessment Program
Tuesday 23rd February 2010 (8.00pm AEDT)
Australia has an ageing population. People are living longer and the birth rate has dropped. The proportion of the population aged 65 years and over is projected to rise from around 12% in 2010 to 25% by the year 2051.There is a higher proportion of older people living in rural areas. Older people often require support and assistance with the tasks of daily living, or they may need to make the difficult decision to enter an aged care facility. The ageing population has already had a significant impact on waiting lists for access to aged care services, some which require an assessment by an Aged Care Assessment Team.
 

The Centre for Remote Health is running an Advanced Medications Practice for Aboriginal Health Workers Short Course.

Dates : 23-25 February 2010
Time: 9 am – 3 pm daily
Cost: $450 (includes GST)

The three day program covers a revision of the basic medicines knowledge essential for safe use of medicines by AHWs who are authorised under Section 29 to supply medicines. Case studies of issues commonly experienced in remote practice will be used to help AHW find information about medicines and make decisions about which medicines are right for the client

For registration enquiries please contact:
Student Administration Officer, Centre for Remote Health, PO Box 4066, Alice Springs, NT 0871
Telephone: (08) 8951 4718 Fax: (08) 8951 4777 or e-mail: crh.studentadmin@flinders.edu.au

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Clinical Guideline for Diagnosis and Management
Broadcast - Tuesday 9th February at 8pm Eastern Daylight time.
In Australia, at least 5,000 children are affected by Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis JIA at any one time. The prevalence is between one and four cases per 1000 children. It is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory joint disease and the most common rheumatic disease in children and adolescents. JIA carries the potential for longer term inflammatory activity and complications, leaving a lasting impact on the child’s function, growth and quality of life.

 

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Awards and Fellowship Nominations

Awards Put Australia's Top Nurses in the Spotlight
The Australian community is being urged to nominate the nation's most accomplished and dedicated nurses, midwives, personal care attendants
and assistants in nursing for the 2010 HESTA Australian Nursing Awards.
With a prize pool of $25,000 across the categories of Nurse HESTA Australian Nursing Awards are one of Australia's most prestigious nursing awards. Ms Corboy said 1,400 nurses had been nominated since the awards were founded four years ago, and the calibre of the nominations continued to impress.

National Institute of Clinical Studies
NICS (TRIP) Fellowship applications now open NICS is very pleased to announce that NHMRC is launching the new Translating Research into Practice (TRIP) Fellowship scheme for 2010. The principles, aims and education components of the TRIP Fellowship scheme are essentially the same as those for the NICS Fellowships, which it will replace. The TRIP Fellowship scheme will support early-to-mid career clinical leaders in researching approaches to applying evidence to improve clinical practice. The fellowship applications are now open and will close at 5pm (AEDT) 1 March 2010, for funding commencing in October 2010. Go to: www.emergencycare.nhmrc.gov.au/blog for more information.

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Meetings & Conferences

The 4th Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Suicide Prevention.
‘Suicide Prevention: A Dialogue Across Disciplines and Cultures’
 

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Articles of Interest

LOCAL INDIGENOUS LEADERS FRONT AND CENTRE IN CLOSING THE GAP
The Australian Government has begun an intensive effort to promote Indigenous leadership as part of its commitment to forge a new relationship, based on mutual trust and respect, with indigenous Australians.

FORUM FOCUSES ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES
The chairman of Western Australia's Indigenous Implementation Board will today deliver the keynote address at a forum on Aboriginal issues in the Goldfields.

ABORIGINAL LEADERS URGE WELFARE CHANGES
Aboriginal leaders want a shake-up of the welfare system in South Australia's remote communities to address truancy and child neglect.

FIRST-EVER 'WELCOME TO COUNTRY' AT DARWIN COUNCIL
The Darwin City Council has read a "welcome to country" message for the first time at its meeting.

COURT INTERPRETER SHORTAGE 'UNACCEPTABLE'
The South Australian Opposition wants the State Government to urgently address the problems arising from a lack of competent and reliable Aboriginal interpreters at the Port Augusta Court.

DOCTORS HAIL NEW TREATMENT FOR SEVERE SWINE FLU CASES
Doctors in Melbourne believe they have found a new and effective way to treat people with severe swine flu.

WORK BEGINS ON ONE-STOP HEALTH CENTRE
Construction work has begun on a new $18 million health facility at Manilla.

LOW SEROTONIN MAY CAUSE SIDS: STUDY
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) could be caused by low levels in the brainstem of serotonin, a neurotransmitter which controls functions such as heart rate and breathing, a study showed.

SUICIDE PREVENTION SERVICES 'CONCERNING'
Healthcare providers have been told to improve suicide prevention services, after a report found an alarming lack of follow-up treatment for people who had attempted to take their own life.

HOPE FOR NEW DRUGS TO TREAT MALARIA
Researchers have identified a key molecule used by the malaria parasite to sustain itself, paving the way for new anti-malarial drugs.

DENTAL BLITZ UNDERWAY TO REDUCE WAIT TIMES
The Northern Territory Health Department says it is running a dental blitz to try to reduce waiting times for public dental care.

PRO-INDIGENOUS JOB BIAS ALLOWED
The South Australian Government has been granted an ongoing exemption from anti-discrimination laws to let it give preference to Aboriginal health workers.

ABORIGINAL LEADERS URGE WELFARE CHANGES
Aboriginal leaders want a shake-up of the welfare system in South Australia's remote communities to address truancy and child neglect.

BRIGHTON BYPASS GETS INDIGENOUS GO-AHEAD
Tasmania's Aboriginal community has lifted bans preventing work on the Brighton bypass in the state's south.

INDIGENOUS LEADER UP-BEAT ABOUT PLAN
A Western Australian Goldfields Aboriginal leader is confident a new plan, being developed in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, will provide an opportunity to make a real difference on a range of local Indigenous issues.

AIRSTRIP CLOSURES BLAMED ON DODGY REPAIRS
Four airstrips on remote Aboriginal lands, in South Australia's far north-west, have been closed indefinitely, raising concerns about access for medical evacuations and services.

FORUM FOCUSES ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES
The chairman of Western Australia's Indigenous Implementation Board will today deliver the keynote address at a forum on Aboriginal issues in the Goldfields.

INDIGENOUS HEALTH WORKERS GAIN NATIONAL VOICE
The Federal Minister for Indigenous Health says a new peak body for Aboriginal and Islander health workers will be more than just an advocacy group.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS HEALTH WORKERS NOW HAVE A VOICE
As of today, South Australian Indigenous health workers have somewhere to turn for support, mentoring, advocacy and training.

ABORIGINAL HEALTH WORKERS FORMALLY ACKNOWLEDGED
Mr Justin Mohamed the Chair of NACCHO* says Aboriginal Health Workers have been formally acknowledged as a profession today with the launch of their new national association by the Minister for Indigenous Health Warren Snowdon in Ceduna at the Koonibba Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.

GOING HOME TO AN ATOMIC TEST SITE
After a world-first cleanup, the Maralinga test site has been returned to its traditional owners, writes Robert Milliken.

 

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