Attracting more people to work in Indigenous health (Health heroes campaign)

• Reach:

  National

• Focus area:

  Indigenous

• Status:

  Current

• Evaluated:

  No

Overview

This project, developed by the federal Department of Health and Ageing, aims to attract more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to work in Indigenous health. The project recognises that an increase in the number of skilled and semi-skilled people working in Indigenous health is necessary to improve Indigenous access to quality health care and to make the Australian health system more responsive to the health needs of Indigenous people. This project directly supports the Indigenous health National partnership agreements and is a key element of the Australian Government's $805.5 million Indigenous chronic disease package to tackle chronic disease amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The components of the Attracting more people to work in Indigenous health project include:

• early market research to identify Indigenous secondary school students' existing knowledge about and interest in health careers, as well as the barriers and motivators to pursuing work in the health sector
• early market research to identify existing government and non-government health programs through which Indigenous Australian secondary school students could be targeted
• development and implementation of a $4.3 million targeted television, radio, print and online advertising campaign
• development and launch of a new website called Health heroes (see links below)
• 20 secondary school visits in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia to support the advertising campaign (expanding nationally in 2012 and 2013)
• development of a School career advisor kit, including posters, brochures and a DVD
• distribution of the above kit to around 1,300 schools that have a significant number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students.

The national advertising campaign, which is a key component of this project, was launched on 24 July 2011 by the Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon.

Contacts

Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (OATSIH)
Closing the Gap: Indigenous Chronic Disease Package
Australian Department of Health and Ageing
GPO Box 9848
Woden ACT 2601
Ph: (02) 6289 1555
Email: oatsih.enquiries@health.gov.au
Email: ICDP@health.gov.au
Email: healthheroes@health.gov.au

Related publications

Health Heroes (2011)

Health Heroes.

Retrieved 2011 from http://www.healthheroes.health.gov.au/

The Health heroes website shares real stories of Indigenous Australians working in the health sector, with the aim of attracting Indigenous students to consider careers in Indigenous health.

The website describes a range of careers available and how to get a job and qualifications. There are television and radio profiles of Aboriginal role models working in Aboriginal health. The Health heroes campaign is part of the Attracting more people to work in Indigenous health project, developed by the federal Department of Health and Ageing. The website also provides information about financial support and scholarships for study and training.

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

• Links
• View website: Health Heroes

Links

• View information: DoHA - Attracting more people to work in Indigenous Health project
• View information: DoHA - Market research for the Health Heroes campaign
• View information: Health heroes - campaign material
• View media release: Minister Warren Snowdon - Health heroes campaign launch
• View website: Department of Health and Ageing
• View website: Health heroes