Australian Indigenous

Conference abstracts and papers

12th National Health Promotion Conference: Inequalities in health - reflecting back, stepping forward.
29 October - 1 November 2000, Hotel Sofitel, Melbourne, Victoria.

Tony McCartney
The role of community controlled Aboriginal health services in promoting health and wellbeing.

Community-controlled Indigenous health organisations provide a wide range of services, as determined by the needs of the local community .It is a model of primary health care that is holistic, and enables a community to design, manage and control its own health care. Health promotion is a key activity in community controlled Indigenous health organisations. Within the community-controlled model, health promotion and prevention activities are developed by community members to address the specific health needs identified by the community. It is a grassroots approach that is highly successful at meeting community needs.

This presentation will draw on examples from the Victorian Aboriginal. Health Service to discuss key elements of the model of Indigenous community controlled health services delivery, and how this model best enables communities to develop their own strategies to respond to their health needs.

Last updated: 5 October, 2001