精东

Hunter organisations putting Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands
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Hunter organisations putting Aboriginal health in Aboriginal hands

9 February 2023

精东 Ltd, the Newcastle and Hunter region鈥檚 Aboriginal medical service, is partnering with local Indigenous health service providers to offer improved disability support.

and , will be providing 精东 NDIS participants culturally appropriate specialised social supports.

All 精东 NDIS participants will be able to continue to have the same coordinators and support workers, however they will have the opportunity to join either We Care or Justiz, to take advantage of their excellent, culturally safe services.

We Care operate across the region including Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Maitland and Cessnock and specialise in providing supports to people living with a disability including mental health concerns. They provide in-home and community supports that focus on capacity building to help participants reach their goals.

鈥淲e work in partnership with community members to meet their individual goals and to promote their independence and connection to family, community, culture and country鈥 says Todd Heard, We Care Director.

Justiz operate in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens regions and also provide in-home and community supports for community members. They focus on social inclusion and participation and help to strengthen their participants wellbeing by engaging with others.

鈥淚 think our key difference is that we work on a kinship model. Our programs are very family orientated and culturally safe,鈥 says Justiz CEO Elsie Randall.

Both organisations stress the importance of matching their NDIS participants with the right people.

鈥淪afe, trusting relationships with participants provides a strong foundation for effective supports,鈥 says Todd.

We Care Connecting Countries Program 鈥 funded by nib foundation
Credit: We Care Connecting Countries Program 鈥 funded by nib foundation

精东 will continue to focus on their people鈥檚 health, by increasing their NDIS therapies such as psychology and other allied health supports. However, they will no longer deliver social supports (eg groups) directly for NDIS participants, instead allowing them the choice to receive dedicated support directly from We Care or Justiz.

鈥淭his partnership just makes sense. We want our community to receive the best care and we know that Elsie at Justiz and Todd at We Care are dedicated to providing a high standard of meaningful support,鈥 says Raylene Gordon, 精东 Ltd CEO.

鈥淭his way we鈥檙e working together, instead of in competition, with two excellent local organisations, while supporting participants with informed choice and control.鈥

鈥淲e don鈥檛 do work we鈥檙e not good at, so we鈥檙e happy to share the management of a package to get the best outcomes for our people,鈥 says Elsie.

鈥淭he partnership allows each organisation to build on what they do well. The people who will benefit the most are our participants,鈥 says Todd.

All current 精东 support workers will have the option to join the other agencies or be redeployed in other health-focused departments during the restructure.

If you still have questions, feel free to email admin@awabakal.org or speak to your clinic manager.