Newsletter - March 2023

Nutrition Education at the local school

. On the 16th of February a team from UTNS comprising of our dietitian Rachel Elovaris and health workers, Cindy Dodd and Zac O’ Reilly went to the school in cooperation with Clontarf academy to deliver the healthy food message. The dietitian showed the difference is appeal , texture and smell of blending healthy foods (fruit, yoghurt, milk) versus blending unhealthy foods (pie, chips, chocolate bar and coke). This reinforced that healthy foods are better for our bodies. The children were then given a simple healthy snack/dessert recipe to follow by making yoghurt parfait with muesli, fruit and yoghurt. Cindy and Zac found that it was a good time to build rapport with these young men and it enables them to introduce the health service to these children in a positive way.

Immunisations at Umoona Tjutagku Health Service

Immunisations are a simple, safe and effective way to protect children against preventable diseases. It is estimated that 2 to 3 million deaths are prevented every year because of vaccinations. Immunisations protect all children from harmful infections before they are exposed to them in the community. It uses your body’s natural defense mechanism, called your immune system, to build resistance to specific infections.

It is widely recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have higher rates of some vaccine preventable diseases than non-Indigenous persons. This is not necessarily due to being of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander background, but rather due to the higher rates of underlying chronic health conditions and social circumstances that can lead to an increase in disease burden.

Our aim at Umoona Health Services is to ensure all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-4 years are fully vaccinated. We have fully qualified nurses who are trained in childhood immunisations which allows your child to be vaccinated all year round. If there are children who are late and require catch-up immunisations, we are creating programs that will target these individuals. These programs are held at our Healthy for Life building and on these days, we incorporate fun activities for both the children and their mothers to encourage attendance. This helps us to promote and educate women on the importance of why your child should be vaccinated. All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are due or have missed a routine childhood vaccination are welcome to attend the clinic and meet with one of our nurses.

Covid 19 Vaccination Raffle program

Umoona Tjutagku Health Service has done a major part of the covid 19 vaccination program among the Coober Pedy community. To make sure our clients are safe and to acknowledge them to stay away from the Covid 19 disease, as a team, we were able to organise awareness programs, education sessions and on top of that, Umoona Tjutagku

Health Service organised a raffle to encourage and make sure that the clients are vaccinated against the Covid 19 disease.

Once we vaccinate our clients, we registered them to the raffle. Threetime vaccinated people were added three times. Two-time vaccinated people were added two times. Meantime, if the whole family decided to vaccinate at once, we straightaway gave them toasters, electric kettles, blankets, etc. That effort made a huge difference of the percentage of people getting vaccinated.

Drug and Alcohol team worked closely with the Umoona Tjutagku Health Service clinic, SA health covid vaccination team, and RFDS team during the vaccination program. In the raffle program, we announced,

First place – A brand new refrigerator

Second place – A brand new microwave oven

Third place – A brand new air fryer. We delivered the washing machine, microwave oven and the air fryer to the winners. They were happy with our service and the presents they received from us.

One again we were able to display a great team effort from the beginning to the last minute throughout the vaccination program. The winners were,

First place – Cecil Brady

Second place Ray Lennon

National Ice Action Strategy Programs

(NIAS Social Worker)

Know the Risks of Meth

Methamphetamine (also known as meth or crystal meth) is a manmade illegal drug. It affects how the brain works. Over time, it can change the way you think and act. Some of these changes can cause you great distress. And they can disrupt your life. But methamphetamine addiction can be treated. If you or a loved one has a substance use disorder, tell someone you trust. That is the first step

How can you get help?

In many cases, you’re Social Worker from DAS, Mental Health Team, UTHS Clinic and Rehabilitation centres can help. Through evidence-based treatment and support, it is possible to live life free from meth. While there are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved medications to treat meth addiction, behavioral therapies can be effective. One example is cognitivebehavioral therapy, which helps people cope with situations that may prompt drug use. Another example uses motivational incentives in the form of vouchers or rewards that the person can earn as encouragement for not using meth or other substances.

We are providing:

 One-on-one counselling sessions (12 weeks plan)

 Educational sessions and Awareness Programs (eg: Ice Workshop)

 Access to Rehabilitation services

MARCH 2023

Call 08 8672 5255 to book an appointment.

Between 8.30am to 4.30pm (Monday to Friday).

Feedback forms are available at Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Aboriginal Corporation Reception (At the main office & the DAS building).

Indigenous Australian people need traumainformed services and trauma-specific care for psychological well-being

Trauma can be caused by intergenerational trauma and painful life circumstances. Although childhood trauma is a genuine issue that requires immediate attention, it is critical to recognise the strength and resilience of Indigenous people and culture in Australia in the face of great adversity. Trauma -informed services and trauma-specific care are critical for those who are unable or unwilling to heal from trauma. Although there are an increasing number of early development programmes geared specifically towards Indigenous people, the majority do not stem from trauma-informed services or contain trauma-specific treatment.

Trauma-informed services and trauma-specific treatment models tap into the hearts of trauma victims/survivors as well as their families. Practitioners and service providers describe educational, therapeutic, and enrichment programmes aimed at meeting the needs of indigenous people, especially their neurological growth. Many of their stated practises are rooted in the diversity of people's cultural and spiritual heritage. Such culturally informed techniques acknowledge Indigenous worldviews as a means of developing cultural and spiritual identity in early development and throughout life.

As a far regional located organisation, our organisation (UTHS) has taken a variety of actions to address these traumatic clients in our Umoona community through various programs such as:

 We provide psychiatrist services to clients in Coober Pedy community and other neighbourhood communities such as Oodnadatta, with a focus on resilience and emotional well-being.

 Self-compassion as a means of providing psychologist services for stress reduction



Providing mental health support after hours through comprehensive mental health assessment and care planning, brief intervention, counselling, and so on.

Based on Trauma specific care

Mona is 19 years old unmarried woman. Mona was referred to our organization by her one of immediate family members as was started to keep quiet and isolated. She didn’t smile very readily and preferred not to hanging out at the edge of her friends and family. She didn’t initiate conversation either; she generally waited until someone approached her. She rarely spoke to her immediate family members and tended to do so when others weren’t around. She didn’t get excited over things like others.

After attending several sessions with our psychiatrist, psychologists and after-hour mental health social workers, Mona has changed her life. Mona's childhood trauma experiences were negatively influenced her a lot and got to know that she has coped with at least one adverse childhood experience. These events include physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse, feeling unloved or unwanted by one’s family and being afraid that basic needs like having food and shelter won’t be met, coping with separation or divorce of caregivers, and having someone in the home get incarcerated.

For Mona, counsellors, therapists and clinicians together did offer trauma-informed care likely have a deeper understanding of the complex nature of trauma. And it was positively effects on the healing journey through the 5 Principles of Trauma-Informed Care such as

 Safety

 Trustworthiness and Transparency

 Peer Support

 Collaboration and Mutuality

 Empowerment, Voice and Choice

Why Trust a Trauma-Informed Care Provider?

Because Mona has change her behaviour after our trauma specific care treatment. Now, she has become a self-independent and extravert young lady who is planning to study for her dream job. Now Mona’s future goal is to become a child care worker and currently she is working on that goal. Therefore, it is a proven example in our community how our mental health care officers work to shape up her life.

PALLIATIVE CARE

What is it?

Palliative Care is specialised care and support for people living with a life-limiting illness. It looks at a holistic approach to a person’s care including their physical, emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life.

Recently, Umoona Tjutagku Health Service have partnered with the Port Lincoln Palliative Care Team to provide support and care to clients who are at the end-stages of life. Their team includes a wide range of specialists including nurses, social workers, physiotherapists and dietitians who are available to help service palliative care clients within our community.

The team visits Coober Pedy once a month and meets with our palliative care clients. During their visits, they assess our client’s physical and emotional health in areas such as:

Pain management

Housing support

Mobility

Food and Nutrition

This allows for our clients to remain in Coober Pedy where access to specialist support is not usually available. A person’s ability to remain on country during this time is so important for all of our clients and it is a privilege to be able to provide and facilitate this multidisciplinary care.

Our aim is to optimise our client’s quality of life and ensure they and their family receive the appropriate support and compassion required. We respect the wishes, values and preferences of our palliative care clients and want to ensure that they feel positive and dignified throughout their journey.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Aboriginal Corporation

Inform, educate, perform, model and lead to ensure diversity is reflected throughout UTHSAC.

Create & sustain an environment that actively embraces diversity and inclusion by recognising value in the uniqueness

Hold all people associated to UTHSAC accountable for their actions and decisions impacting the achievements of UTHSAC

Utilise the success in diversity to assist UTHSAC becoming a provider and the employer of choice as we lead our communi-

Innovative, responsive and culturally appropriate health services are accessible to Aboriginal people living in the Coober Pedy and surrounding region.

MISSION STATEMENT

To provide a holistic health care service that achieves positive health outcomes through primary health care intervention as