INDIGENOUS communities across Leichhardt will benefit from a $64 million investment in primary and preventable health care as part of the Abbott Government’s ongoing commitment to closing the gap.
Mr Entsch announced today that three Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) would have their funding extended for another three years to ensure they could deliver important health care and treatment in local communities.
The organisations are;
• Apunipima Cape York Health Council Ltd – $35,321,431.21 for the delivery of Indigenous Outreach Workers and New Directions: Mothers & Babies programs and Primary Health Care.
• NPA Family and Community Services Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Corp – $4,700,744.53 for Primary Health Care.
• Wuchopperen Health Service Ltd – $23,885,318.23 for the Australian Nurse Family Partnership, Healthy for Life, Indigenous Outreach Workers, and New Directions: Mothers & Babies programs, and Primary Health Care.
“Although there has been improvement, we all know there is much work to be done with Indigenous health outcomes,” Mr Entsch said.
“This funding reaffirms the Abbott Government’s commitment to closing the gap and to meeting the Government’s priorities of getting Indigenous Australians into work, ensuring children go to school and making communities safer.
“Overall this Government is investing $3.1 billion over the next four financial years on Indigenous health, an increase of over $500 million when compared with the previous four years.”
The target to halve the gap in mortality rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children does look achievable by 2018. However the target to close the gap in life expectancy within a generation is not on track to be met.
Mr Entsch said the three local ACCHOs are among 112 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations across Australia that will share in $1.4 billion.
“The Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations play a unique and vital role in our efforts to close the gap in health outcomes through working with communities to improve access for Indigenous families to primary or preventative health care,” Mr Entsch said.
“We are committed to making long-term improvements in Indigenous health through continuing to support families and communities to improve their health and wellbeing.”
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations enable the delivery of culturally appropriate services including support from multi-disciplinary teams involving nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers and allied health providers as well as General Practitioners.
The funding will be delivered over three years – from 2015-16 to 2017-18 – to ACCHOs to continue delivering essential primary health care to Indigenous communities.
