Weekly Update

Dear Members,

As the 2010 CRANAplus Conference Convenor, I'm excited to announce that plans are coming along nicely and that our conference is only six month away! We're busy getting the last of the keynote speakers lined up and the staff in the Adelaide office are excited about sharing their city with all of you.

The abstracts are rolling in and everyone needs to remember that this year's deadline is May 15, which is much earlier than previous years. We've added an electronic submission system on the website which makes it simple to register an abstract. You will need to fill in your contact information, then simply copy and paste your abstract into the form. There only a month left to submit abstracts!

I am happy to announce that again this year, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing has generously agreed to help sponsor our conference. Their ongoing support allows us to present such a great meeting each year. Please join me in thanking them for their support.

I encourage any of you who may be looking for the next chapter in your career, to please visit the employment section of the CRANAplus website and take a look at the Maternity Emergency Care Course Coordinator position. We are seeking a midwife with a unique combination of skills and knowledge in the coordination of current maternity emergency education programs that wants to join our dynamic First Line Emergency Care team.

Have a great weekend,

Anne Marie Borchers
CRANAplus Business Manager
 

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Draft National Guidance on Collaborative Maternity Care

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Final two weeks of the public and targeted consultation for the: Draft National Guidance on Collaborative Maternity Care.

Commissioned by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing in September 2009 the NHMRC is developing a Guidance document and a draft of the document is currently available for comment. The “Guidance” defines what collaborative care is, highlights the key principles of collaboration and how midwives and others might establish positive collaborative relationships that will assist all maternity health care professionals to work together to provide the best possible care for birthing women.

The NHMRC project team is keen to hear the views of CRANAplus members to ensure we gain comment about the draft document from a rural and remote perspective.

The current public and targeted consultation period ends on April 27th 2010.

To view the draft Guidance and for information on making a submission go to the NHMRC website:
www.nhmrc.gov.au click on public consultations under the quick links heading.

If you have any questions about the project or making a submission please contact the NHMRC project team via email: gill.hall.nhmrc.gov.au or phone: 02 62175196.

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Sharing Solutions: Indigenous Communities Tackling Chronic Disease

The Rural Health Education Foundation will be running a webcast on chronic disease amongst Indigenous adults entitledSharing Solutions: Indigenous Communities Tackling Chronic Disease. The Foundation would encourage anyone interested to register and participate in the webcast or view the program at a satellite viewing site in your local area.
The program aims to increase the capacity of health professionals to respond more effectively to the health and wellbeing needs of indigenous adults. It explores successful community-based primary healthcare initiatives that have an emphasis on prevention and health promotion. It also examines community-based strategies that have been successful in ameliorating Indigenous health disadvantage, and in building capacity and resilience.

Program details:
Tuesday 27th April
8.00pm NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, QLD; 7.30pm SA and NT; 6pm WA

Click here for more information about the program and how to register and view the program.

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FLEC Update

The year is flying by with 11 courses successfully completed already. Last weekend saw our first Advanced Remote Emergency Care which was a pilot course held in Darwin. An enormous amount of work has been done by many people and initial feedback has been very positive.

We have a few vacancies on the REC course in Halls Creek and MIDUS course in Toowoomba, both on the 4-6th June. Register online asap to avoid missing out.

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BSS Update

Hello from Bush Support Services!

Here's an update on a couple of our latest projects:

Stress Buster Competition
If you have been considering entering the Stress Busters competition you will be interested in knowing that TOP PRIZES include a BBQ and
an ESPRESSO machine. We hope you can motivate your family or staff to join in for the fun and win. Check out our website at
bss.crana.org.au for more details about registering for the competition.

Cosy Blanket Project
We appreciate all who have participated and sent in knitted squares. Especially those who have contributed their own wool. So far we have
three and a half blankets.This is just a gentle reminder to please send in your squares so we can finish at least four blankets and get
them to people in need this winter. This project is ongoing and will carry over to the winter of 2011. Details and instructions are on our
website.

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Grants Available

Primary health care research evaluation and development grant are being offered through Centre for Remote Health

PURPOSE OF THE GRANT
The Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Program (PHCRED) is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Funding is provided to all University Departments of Rural Health and University Departments of General Practice to build research capacity and to promote research and the dissemination of research findings.
The Centre for Remote Health (CRH) is offering small bursaries (up to $5,000) to enable those working or involved in rural and remote primary health care within the Northern Territory to conduct research or evaluation in the field of Primary Health Care and to disseminate findings.

Click on this items head for more information.

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Book Launch

Members of the Alice Springs remote health community recently attended a launch for a book written Kerry Taylor and Pauline Guerin.

Health Care and Indigenous Australians: Cultural safety in practice is an easy to read book that focuses on the health care professional and what they can do to contribute to improving the health outcomes of Indigenous Australians. The book uses a cultural safety approach for health students or professionals wanting to improve their practice. With 14 Chapters that include activities, critical thinking questions, poems, ‘making it local’ activities, and case scenarios, readers will find that the material provides opportunities to think in new ways about Indigenous health and about their practice more generally.

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Meetings & Conferences

The 28th CRANAplus Conference
13-16 October 2010
Adelaide, SA

The Australian Practice Nurses Association 2nd Annual Conference 'Golden Opportunities'
6-8 May 2010
Gold Coast, QLD

Inaugural National Indigenous Drug and Alcohol Conference "listening, learning and leading"
16 May 2010
Adelaide, SA

SUPPORTING SISTERS AND AUNTIES TO SURVIVE!
Spread the word about the Supporting Sisters and Aunties to Survive! A Breast Cancer Summit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women.
26 May 2010
Darwin, NT

2010 Primary Health Care Research Conference
Primary health care research and health reform: Improving care
30 June - 2 July 2010
Darwin, NT

Australia's health 2010 Conference- The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
23 June 2010
Canberra, ACT

Aboriginal Health Conference 2010
26 - 27 June, 2010
Perth, WA

2nd Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium "Winds of Change: New Perspectives on Rural and Remote Mental Health"
29-30 September 2010
Canberra, ACT

The 4th Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Suicide Prevention
‘Suicide Prevention: A Dialogue Across Disciplines and Cultures’
17- 20 November 2010
Brisbane, QLD

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Educational Opportunities & Scholarships

CRANAplus/YNA Undergraduate Scholarships
Deadline - 31st August 2010
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 any Australian university, undertakes a remote location placement.

PHC: Making a difference
25-26 October 2010
This short course has been developed to strengthen health professionals understanding of the social, environmental, structural, political and philosophical issues that impact upon health care provision in remote Australia. The workshop will explore primary health care, its current status and potential in Australian health care as well as the recognition of the importance of integrating health promotion and prevention strategies in remote health settings.

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Articles of Interest

INDIGENOUS HEALTH WORKFORCE AIMS TO LOSE THE GAP
The first group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Project Officers, funded under the Council of
Australian Government’s Close the Gap program, will begin working with general practitioners
(GPs) in the coming weeks to address Indigenous disadvantage in the health system.

FREE PRIVATE CARE FOR PATIENTS WHO'VE WAITED TOO LONG SURGERY
Patients waiting longer than recommended for elective surgery will get treated in a private hospital at taxpayer expense under a radical plan by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to clear the nation's hospital waiting lists.

SOFT DRINKS BOOST PANCREATIC CANCER RISK
People who drink at least two soft drinks a week nearly double their risk of developing pancreatic cancer, a study has revealed.

INDIGENOUS SUPERHERO PROMOTES SAFE SEX
An animated superhero is being used to spread the safe sex message in Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

ALCOHOL BANS IN REMOTE COMMUNITIES SUPPORTED
The Shire of Derby West Kimberley has signalled its support for alcohol bans in two remote communities in the Fitzroy Valley.

CALL TO REVIEW SERVICES FOR INDIGENOUS QUEENSLANDERS
A study has found major gaps in drug and alcohol support services for Indigenous people in Queensland despite increases in spending.

CALL GOES OUT FOR MORE RURAL HEALTH LEADERS
Medical and nursing students will gather in Wollongong over the next three days to learn how they can help provide leadership roles in rural health services.

AUSTRALIA TO RELEASE FIRST NATIONAL MALE HEALTH POLICY
The stereotype of the indestructible Aussie male has been challenged in a new report that reveals men living outside major cities have worse health outcomes than men in urban areas.

'MIND YOU' THERE'S NO ANAESTHETIST ON THE ROAD'
‘Mind you, there’s no anaesthetist on the road’: women’s experiences of labouring en route in the decade 1996–2006, 130 Australian rural maternity units closed throughout Australia.

OXFAM AIMS TO CLOSE THE GAP
Chronic health issues, shortened life expectancy and infant mortality are things we associate with third world countries, but it’s happening here in the Northwest.

THE TERRITORY'S FIRST MEDICAL SCHOOL GETS UNDERWAY
The Minister for Indigenous Health and Rural and Regional Health, Warren Snowdon, today joined the member for Solomon, Damian Hale and Chief Minister Paul Henderson, in Darwin to ‘turn the first sod’ for the Northern Territory’s new medical school.

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