Victorian Refugee Health Network E-bulletin September 2009 

The Victorian Refugee Health Network brings together health, settlement and community services to be more accessible and responsive to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers.
The E-bulletin provides a regular forum to share news and information to support practitioners and services in providing health care to people of a refugee background.

News and Events

 1. Reminder: Victorian GP Refugee Health Forum: Saturday, October 10th, 9am – 5pm organised by the NDGP, the Dandenong Casey GP Assoc, Pivot West and Foundation House. Open to GPs, nurses, practice staff, and other health practitioners. Expert presenters and facilitators will lead workshops on transcultural psychiatry, legal issues, micronutrient deficiencies, women’s health, infectious diseases, immunisation and socio-cultural issues. Cat. 1 ALM points applied for GPs. Location: Foundation House, 6 Gardiner St, Brunswick (lunch provided). Contact Kay Dufty at (03) 8480 4609 or Kay.Dufty@ndgp.org.au  To view the flyer click here. 

 2. Vitamin D deficiency in Victoria stakeholder forum: Friday 23rd October 1.30-4.30pm convened by Department of Human Services to discuss progress on the development and implementation of strategies to prevent vitamin D deficiency in Victoria and identify future priorities for action. Key speakers include Professor Peter Ebeling, Chair of Medicine, Head of Endocrinology, Western Health and Dr Georgia Paxton, Paediatrician and Medical Coordinator Immigrant Health Service, Royal Children’s Hospital. To be held at Foundation House. Click here for invite.

3. The Clinical Advisory Group on PBS Access for Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants (CAPAR) has been established and will advise DoHA and PBAC on the specific medication needs of refugees and humanitarian entrants. Dr Joanne Gardiner has been appointed as a GP representative on CAPAR. Progress has been made in relation to high-priority medicines relevant to refugee health.  For futher information click here.

Resources

4. Good Medical Practice: A Code of Conduct for Doctors in Australia was released on 10th August. In preparation for the introduction of national medical registration from July 2010, the Australian Medical Council, on behalf of all state and territory medical boards, has developed this national code of professional conduct for medical practitioners. It includes guidelines on effective communication, and culturally safe and sensitive practice. Access at http://goodmedicalpractice.org.au/code/

 5. We have a voice, hear us: settlement experiences of refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa (August 2009) is a new report written by Eileen Pittaway and Chrisanta Muli for the Centre for Refugee Research. In the report refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa share their experiences of resettlement and integration in Australia, as well as their recommendations for better support. Click here to view.

6. Refugee Health Assessment Templates: The refugee health assessment template was developed by General Practice Victoria (GPV) to help GPs undertake the MBS Refugee Health Assessment items. The template can be accessed on the Refugee Health page of the GPV website. Click here to view.

7. Refugees and Asylum Seekers: a guide to key electronic resources. Compiled by Harriet Spinks of the Parliamentary Library, this guide provides web links to statistics and information about the world’s refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced people. It aims to enable comparisons to be made between Australian and international refugee and asylum seeker responses and policies. Click here to view.

8. Translated Resources on Sports & Physical Activities: Kiemi Lai, the Engaged Communities Coordinator at Western Bulldogs has compiled a list of organisations who have translated materials and resources about different sports, general fitness and physical activity. Click here to open the document which also contains contact details to obtain the resources. For queries contact: Kiemi.Lai@westernbulldogs.com.au

 Professional Development

9. Mental Health and Wellbeing for Immigrant and Refugee Women is the final of the Multicultural Centre for Women's Health (MCWH) 2009 professional training seminar series. It will discuss the impact of migration and resettlement, the issues immigrant and refugee women face in their new environment and how they deal with them. It will be held on Thursday 26th November, 9am-2pm (lunch provided) at MCWH, Suite 207, Level 2, Carringbush building, 134 Cambridge St, Collingwood. Cost: $65 (students free). Further information contact: Dr Salma Al-Khudairi, Education and Training Officer on (03) 9418 0999 or training@mcwh.com.au

Research

10. A roundtable on mental health research and policy for young people of refugee background was recently convened by Professor Harry Minas (Centre for International Mental Health), Carmel Guerra (Centre for Multicultural Youth), Josef Szwarc (Foundation House) and Dr Georgia Paxton (Royal Children’s Hospital). Chaired by Professor John Mendoza, Chairperson of the National Advisory Council on Mental Health to the Federal Minister of Health and Ageing, participants discussed factors that impede or promote access to mental health services, whether new models of mental health service delivery are needed, and research and policy priorities in order to improve mental health services for young people of refugee backgrounds. Further information and background papers are available from Josef Szwarc, Research and Policy Manager, Foundation House: szwarcj@foundationhouse.org.au

Special thanks to Jacinta Craven, a La Trobe University Bachelor of Health Sciences & Bachelor of Development Studies final year student, who prepared this edition of the E-Bulletin.

Subscriptions and contributions to the Victorian Refugee Health Network E-Bulletin are welcome.
If you would like to subscribe or send news or information relevant to refugee health please go to the Contact Us page on the Refugee Health Network website at www.refugeehealthnetwork.org.au or email: refugeehealth@foundationhouse.org.au 

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