Our priorities
The Hospital and Health Boards (Health Equity Strategies) Amendment Regulation 2012 requires Hospital and Health Services to set out its actions and agreed key performance measures to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples health and wellbeing outcomes including:
ELIMINATE RACISM
Actively eliminating racial discrimination and institutional racism within the service
Racism is a key structural determinant of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples health inequity. Institutional racism refers to the ways in which racist beliefs attitudes or values have arisen within, or are built into the operations and/or policies of an institution in such a way that discriminates against controls or oppresses, directly or indirectly, a certain group to limit their rights; causing and/or contributing to inherited disadvantage.
ACCESS
Increasing access to healthcare services
First Nations people continue to have lower access to health services than other Australians for a range of reasons including: experiences of racism within healthcare settings, barriers relating to cost, a lack of culturally respectful and culturally competent health services, lack of transport, and distance to services.
CULTURALLY SAFE AND RESPONSIVE SYSTEM
Delivering sustainable, culturally safe and responsive healthcare services
Growing the size, capacity and capability of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health sector workforce will improve the cultural capacity of the system, whilst also helping to address the social and economic determinants of health. This growth across all levels and employment levels will increase the cultural capability of service provision whilst also ensuring services have a representative and diverse workforce.
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Influencing the social, cultural and economic determinants of health
Approximately one-third of the health gap for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is linked to the social determinants of health. Given many health inequities are created before patients reach healthcare services, it is critical that service providers work alongside and with other organisations to improve not only health outcomes but also the social, cultural and economic determinants of health.
WORKING WITH ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES
Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, and organisations to design, deliver, monitor and review health services
Improving and increasing the level of engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations will enable improved effectiveness and health outcomes of programs, as well as increasing collaboration across the system enabling a better interface between primary and acute care.
Contact us
Health Equity Program
Phone: (07) 3139 6621
HealthEquityMNH@health.qld.gov.au
Visit our Facebook Page
Join the conversation #ourhealthourway #forcommunity via the Better Together Health Van Facebook page
“Health Equity means Opportunity and Change.”
“The voices, lived experiences, and cultural authority of our people are integral to the co-design, co-ownership and co-implementation of our Health Equity Strategy.”
“If we be too sensitive, we won’t fix anything.”
“You have the full commitment from the Board and Metro North Leadership to co-design with Elders, community, and partners to make our hospital and health services accessible, free from racism and discrimination, culturally safe and responsive.”
“Still keep fighting.”
“You have to understand the patient journey. You have to understand health starts at home.”