Weekly Update

Dear Members,

Do you have a new member joining your team? What better way to welcome them than to give them CRANAplus membership? If you are an employee of one of our corporate members (see the logos displayed on the sidebar) you are eligible to receive a discounted rate on membership.

Sales of the second edition of the CRANAplus Clinical Procedures Manual are brisk, so don’t miss the opportunity to purchase your copy. You can order on-line or buy ‘over the counter’ from both our Alice Springs and Adelaide offices at $70 per copy.

Don't forget that closing date for abstracts for the 28th Annual National CRANAplus Conference is May 15.  You now have less than a month to get your idea down on paper! Don't worry though, the new submission process on the website is VERY easy.

Anyone who has worked at Milingimbi Primary Health Centre over the years should check out the story below,  Barbara Dhamany is retiring after 30 years and the health centre would like as many people as possible to help her celebrate.

Please remember that both the Alice Springs and Adelaide offices will both be closed on April 26 for ANZAC day.

Have a great weekend,

AnneMarie Borchers
Business Manager, CRANAplus

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Milingimbi Primary Health Centre

Milingimbi Primary Health Centre in Arnhem Land, NT is extending an invitation to those of you who may have worked with either Aboriginal Health Workers- Barbara Dhamany or Joanne Baker. All former employees are cordially invited to attend the celebrations, which will take place next week in Milingimbi. The ceremony is to acknowledge the 30 years service by Dhalmany who is retiring, whist also "bringing in" Joanne Baker.

If you are not able to make it but would like to have a message read out at the ceremony, please send emails to: Milingimbi.Clinicmgr@nt.gov.au

Click here to see more details about the event.

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BSS Update

Bush Support Services is excited to announce that the Bush Support Line has assisted its first client via 'Skype'. Having recently launched Internet counseling via email, this is yet another way to serve people in remote regions. The use of video calling allows clients to see the face of the counselor. Anyone interested in utilizing this type of video calling, should contact BSS psychologist, Annmaree Wilson at scp@crana.org.au to schedule an appointment.

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FLEC Update

Courses continue to fill quickly but we still have some vacancies on the following courses:

Remote Emergency Care (REC)
Halls Creek, WA - 4-6th June
Gove, NT - 13-15th August

Materntiy Emergency Care (MEC)
Pt Hedland, WA - 13-15th August
Walgett, NSW - 17-19th September

Midwifery Up Skilling (MIDUS)
Toowoomba, QLD - 4-6th June.

The MEC held in conjunction with our annual conference is proving very popular. If you have registered but have not yet paid, please look to finalise your registration ASAP to avoid disappointment.

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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

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

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

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

Interactive Lecturing and Presenting
6 May 2010
Alice Springs
Facilitated by Geoff White from Monash University, this workshop will introduce participants to the concept of 'interactive learning' as it applies to the planning of lectures and presentations that engage audience members via interactivity between them and the lecturer/presenter. The workshop is specifically focused on planning sessions that address 'lecturalgia' (painful lecture), a condition that "is a frequent cause of morbidity for both teachers and learners".

Dementia Resouce Guide
The Department of Health and Aging ‘Dementia Resource Guide’ is available on-line and can be downloaded by chapter. This guide has been developed to help people care for those who have dementia. The guide supports a holistic approach that considers the social, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of the person with dementia and those around them. CD format is also available on request.

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Articles of Interest

DENTAL CARE FORGOTTEN ISSUE IN HEALTH DEBATE
He wrapped the sledgehammer in a tea towel. In his other hand, he held a chisel. With a mouth full of chipped, rotting teeth Joshua*, 23, had lived in constant pain since his early teens.

NO HEALTH WITHOUT HEALTHY BEGINNINGS
My father died in the locked ward of a psychiatric hospital, in circumstances that were probably worse than would have been expected in the jails of the day.

AFTER-HOURS CLINIC TAKES PRESSURE OFF ER
Researchers have calculated exactly how much an after-hours GP clinic can take the pressure off an overstretched hospital emergency room.

DEPRESSED ADULTS SMOKE MORE: STUDY
Adults who suffer depression are twice as likely to smoke and also smoke more heavily than adults who are not depressed, a study released on Wednesday shows.

SWINE FLU EXPERT SAYS GET VACCINATED
Young people, who are most at risk from the swine flu, should get themselves vaccinated ahead of the second wave of the disease, a health experts has warned.

GREENS CALL FOR $5B MENTAL HEALTH PLAN
The Australian Greens are calling on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to adopt their proposed $5 billion mental health plan into his hospitals reform package.

LABOR FOLLOWS BARNABY'S LEAD
Senator Barnaby Joyce welcomes Minister Burke's decision to examine tax mechanisms to bring incentives to more evenly spread the population across our nation and invigorate growth in remote regional areas.

BROTHERHOOD CALLS TO PUT TEETH FIRST
The Brotherhood of St Laurence today releases an important report examining the implications of the lack of timely dental treatment for people on low-incomes.

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