The Weekly Update

Dear members,

We’re happy to report some exciting changes to CRANAplus membership.

To better serve our members, we have altered our memberships to expire 12 months from the date of joining. All existing memberships will continue to expire on June 30.

This change allows members to get a full year of membership regardless of when they join. If you join at any point in December 2009 your renewal date will be November 30, 2010.

We are also excited to announce the opportunity for our members to join with multi-year memberships at a discounted rate! We are offering a $10 discount for every year of your multi-year membership. The total amount must be paid in the first year but can be spread throughout the year in quarterly installments.

Example: Five years of membership in CRANAplus would cost $750 if paid on an annual basis. With the multi-year membership, the cost is only $700 paid in four $175 installments during the first year.

We are also happy to now offer direct debit as a way to pay your membership. It’s a convenient, easy way to ensure your membership is always current. You can choose to have your account debited quarterly or annually from any debit bank account. The direct debit form can be found on our website. Payroll deductions can also be established inline with your employer. Please contact Leanne in the CRANAplus finance department to discuss the details.

Cheers,

Anne Marie

Business Manager
CRANAplus

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Meetings & Conferences

Consumer-Centred Health Care: Policy, Innovation and Empowerment
22nd - 23rd March 2010
Angliss Conference Centre, Melbourne
This national conference over two days will explore the emerging agenda of consumer-centred health care. It is an event not to be missed for anyone with a passion for reforming our health system so that patients and their families are at the centre of the system.

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Scholarships Available

Scholarships for Health Sector Employees

The recently launched Northern Territory Scholarships for Health Sector Employees is designed to provide financial support to health sector organisations wishing to enroll staff into the Australian Applied Management Colloquium. The Australian Applied Management Colloquium is a 5-month program developed by a consortium of stakeholders including major Australian employers and employer groups, the National Leadership Institute and the Workplace Training Advisory of Australia. In responding to the needs of Australian employers, the Colloquium will set a new standard in the provision of skill-based management development training in Australia. As the 2010 Colloquium commences in Darwin in July, registration forms and scholarship applications should be submitted promptly.

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Educational Opportunities

General Practice Network NT is providing leader training to health professionals and lay persons in the Stanford Chronic Condition Self Management Program (CDSMP) community courses. To be held in Darwin January 18-20, 2010.  This workshop is to train Peer and Health Professional leaders to deliver the Stanford Chronic Disease Self Management Program (CDSMP) community course. There is limited travel assistance available for trainees to attend from rural and remote areas on a priority basis.

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Articles of Interest

Encouraging News About Indigenous Smoking Trends
Dr David Thomas of Menzies School of Health has published new research this week in the International Journal for Equity in Health undermining the idea that the prevalence of smoking in the Australian Indigenous community has not changed, whilst smoking has fallen in the rest of the Australian population.

New President of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine
The Australian Antarctic Division's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jeff Ayton, has been elected the new President of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM). Dr Ayton has been ACRRM's Tasmanian Director since 2008 and will take over the national role from Associate Professor Dennis Pashen.

Alcohol Remains Number One on Drug Treatment List
Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of concern for Australians seeking treatment for drug or alcohol issues, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Breastfeeding Associated with Reduced Risk of Asthma in Infancy
Findings from a two-year study on asthma and wheezing illness in one year olds and kindergarten children, released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, show that within the first three years of life, almost 17% of Australian infants experienced asthma or wheezing illness.

States Told to Fund Dialysis Service
Alice Springs dialysis services should be jointly provided by the Northern Territory, South Australian and Western Australian governments, a health group says.

Child Abuse Triples in NT Communities
A progress report on the Northern Territory intervention shows the rate of confirmed incidences of child abuse has more than tripled since 2006. The six-month progress report shows confirmed incidences of child abuse rose from 66 cases in 2006-2007 to 227 in the last financial year.

Giving it Back: A Revolution in the Bush
Nicolas Rothwell concludes his series on dysfunction in the Northern Territory with proposals for radical reform with the systematic failure of the Northern Territory government in its role as guide and custodian of Aboriginal communities now evident, a new model for the region must be designed. In the NT we have created, by stages, a confused regime of Aboriginal land and sea rights, of constraint and intervention, of native title and access permits.

Screw Worm Fly Just a Storm Away
Queensland has been warned it is not a matter of if but when the deadly screw worm fly arrives, threatening not only the cattle industry but also humans.

Teachers union backs academy proposed by Noel Pearson
The Queensland Teachers Union is keen to discuss any partnership options involved in establishing a Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy proposed by Noel Pearson.

Parents, Students Must Now Step Up
Programs introduced in recent years aimed at giving a better quality education to indigenous children have all had measured success -- but progress is slow.

Celebrated Aboriginal Artist Dead at 50
One of the most admired Aboriginal artists of the Western Desert, Doreen Reid Nakamarra, has died just a few weeks after she returned from a major exhibition in the US.

New Voice for Rural Communities
The South Australians who will lead a new consultative body aimed at developing services in the state's rural areas were announced yesterday.

Race a Key to Custody Figures
Young indigenous Australians are 16 times more likely to be held under supervision than non-indigenous children, a study says.

Corporate World Urged to Train Aboriginal Students
Aboriginal Employment Strategy says the corporate world needs to step up. Australia's largest Aboriginal recruitment agency is urging big business to start employing Indigenous Year 11 and 12 school students.

Study Reveals Indigenous Spending 'Paradox'
A Charles Darwin University professor says central Australia's economy is reliant on government spending on Aboriginal people. Rolf Gerritsen has written a paper for the Journal of Economic and Social Policy on the economic contribution of Aboriginal people in the region. His research found the biggest contribution to the regional economy was not welfare spending but funding of Aboriginal organisations.

Funds Boost for Western Health Projects
Plans to build a primary health care centre in Lightning Ridge have received a $500,000 boost from the Federal Government.

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