AGM Report 21/22

Chairperson’s Report

It is my pleasure to present you the Directors Report and Audited Financial Statements of Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (UTHS) for 2021’/2022’.

Just as in the previous year, the past year was a very challenging year for the Community and also for Umoona Tjutagku Health Service, due to the continuation of the Covid-19 Pandemic situation. The organisation took the lead role in Coober Pedy in managing the pandemic situation in terms of vaccination promotion campaigns, vaccination campaigns, pandemic emergency support services and also taking the lead role in coordination the pandemic management with the State Government. This was in addition to the routine core work which was required to be done in relation to service delivery to clients.

It was very heartening to see Umoona Health staff working after hours and also during week-ends and Public Holidays, sacrificing their personal and family time to assist with the Covid-19 Management Programs which were run throughout this period.

am also pleased to state that the Board met on a regular basis to understand and guide the organisations strategic direction, and its short-term and longterm goals. We are pleased to say that the Board Members were provided with all Financials and other related details which helped us to understand how the organisation was performing at any given time. The External Accountants of the organisation also provided the Board with Financial updates whenever required, which we feel is good thing, since we were receiving such details from within and external to the organisation.

In order to facilitate this process, the Board, CEO and Secretary were provided two Governance Training sessions in the past year, which included understanding the financials and how to successfully guide the organisation’s future direction while meeting its statutory obligations.

As done each year, Board Members were offered the opportunity to upskill themselves in Board, Governance and Financial matters if required. The organisation wants to ensure that the

Board, which gives Strategic Direction to the organisation, has the necessary skills to do so.

take this opportunity to thank the Community and Members of the organisation, for utilising the services or the organisation and supporting it to grow, so that the organisation could offer more services to the Community in future. wish to request members to follow the organisations Polices and Processes which are in place, if you require to make a complaint or compliment the organisation for its good work.

also wish to inform all of our stake holders that the Board of Directors of UTHS have not received any monitory or non-monitory benefits in the capacity of being Board Members of the Corporation.

Finally, take this opportunity to thank the Board, Secretary, CEO and all staff at UTHS for the great work they continue to do in order to improve the health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal People in Coober Pedy and surrounding Region.

Katrina Williams Chairperson

Board of Directors

Katrina Williams Chairperson

Chris Warrior Director

Patrick Larkins Director

Dilshan Perera Secretary

Priscilla Larkins CEO

Raelene Dodd Director

Gary Crombie Director

I would like to acknowledge the Antikarinya People as the custodians of the lands of the Coober Pedy Area and pay respect to elders both past and present. I also acknowledge and respect the Antikarinya people’s cultural, spiritual, physical and emotional connection with their land, and community.

CEO’s Report

Welcome to our 2021/2022 AGM report

What a busy year it’s been. Having endured a global pandemic for the entirety of 2021-22 has tested us mentally and physically putting a massive strain on all our staff and clients. Our community has never been under so much overload in the last 12 months. Putting all Agencies into limbo and allowing the Agencies to collaboratively work together to fight the situation.

The pandemic has presented so many pressures in our communities and luckily, we were able to strategically put together a planned way in advance so that our organisation was properly prepared for what’s to come. It has seen increased pressure on an already under pressure Primary Healthcare and Mental Health system

and workforce. It has stretched our advocacy efforts wide and far and impacted our ability to connect properly and engage in conversations and consultations on lasting reform. It has been difficult for many, and most importantly, dealing with COVID-19 on an individual basis has added to the existing pressures on those with lived experiences.

We want to make particular acknowledgement of the member organisations such as SA Health and NACCHO for their support during the COVID pandemic outbreak. They have responded to the challenges with active collaboration and early action despite operational challenges and ever-increasing demands on services as the impact of the pandemic has

taken its toll. Primarily focused on the physical health of our communities and rolling out vaccine programs, they have all had to respond on many fronts, including the immediate mental health needs, at a local and national level. And they have done so with record investments in mental health service delivery and programs at a national level, and bespoke state and territory-based investments aimed at helping people through and beyond the pandemic.

We have also welcomed the opportunities to keep improving our system by adopting a new strategic focus on the leadership and voices of those with lived experience, targeting the social determinants of mental health, and delivering value to members and the wider sector through collaboration, partnerships and drawing together expertise. Umoona Health also encourages the young generation to take on employment and studies to become

the new face of upcoming Aboriginal Health Workers. We have a young Team of AHW’s who have come on board and are very much involved in servicing the Community - Peter, Misho, Jonte, Aiden, and also Joanne.

To our Board members, thank you for your ongoing support, insight, collaboration and commitment to constantly looking for ways to improve our healthy environment and improved the way we structure our services. To our Management Arlene Ackland Clinic Manager, Patrick Larkins and Thilina of Drug and Alcohol, Dilshan Perera the Business Services Manager and Secretary to the Board.

To all the staff, thank you for continuing to deliver the many programs and services, and projects that add value to our members, and our wider community. Knowing that we have continued to advocate and work towards a better health system for all during the most challenging

periods is a testament in itself to the ongoing work and value of aboriginal Health in Coober Pedy and surrounding areas, Australia and the wider system we work within.

We will continue to break through barriers and open up more opportunities in time to come. We hope to have more in store in time to come. I’m sure there will be more success stories to tell.

Priscilla Larkins CEO

Administration Department Report

Human Resources

It is with great pleasure that I present the Admin Report of Umoona Tjutagku

Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (UTHSAC), for the 2022’AGM.

UTHSAC continued to invest in its most valuable asset, its Human Resources to ensure that they exceed service delivery expectations of Funders and Clients. In 2022’ more young Indigenous candidates were given employment opportunities within the organisation, and most of them, and also some existing staff were put on to the Aboriginal Health Worker training program coordinated by AHCSA. All AOD, NIAS, Chronic Disease Management, ITC, Sports Program and Admin Staff were also provided opportunities to upskill, with a focus on service delivery. Umoona Health staff are also being supported through an Employee Assistance Program where employees could confidentially talk to an external Counsellor/Psychologist

if they require any assistance. We are confident that these initiatives will assist staff to develop their skills and provide a better service to the community.

It was also a difficult year for the Human Resource Management in the organisation since the organisation found it extremely difficult to replace Registered Nurses (RN’s) who left the organisation in the past year, due to the severe shortage of RN’s in Australia. The organisation is currently managing the situation with Agency Nurses until suitable candidates could be recruited. The Recruitment process for critical positions is advertised Nationwide in order to attract interested and suitable candidates.

Finance

The organisation continues to grow its funding base due to the expanded service offering to its clients in and around Coober Pedy. UTHSAC continues to manage its finances in a very strict and effective manner and work closely with their External Accountants to ensure that all funding received is managed and utilised as per guidelines set by its Funders. The organisation conducted and Interim Audit and an End of Financial Year (EOFY) Audit, and the finances are where they were expected to be at the EOFY. Additional training was provided to its staff who manage Finances, to make the process more efficient and effective.

Accreditation

UTHSAC passed it’s 3-year major QIP Accreditation process this year and received Accreditation for the next 3 years, with a Mid-cycle Accreditation Audit expected in 2023’.

Board & Governance

The UTHSAC Board has been very supportive of the organisation’s operations and have been providing guidance to it to ensure that the organisation meets its core objectives. The UTHSAC Board has been meeting on a regular basis to review the organisations Governance, Finance and Strategic direction. The organisations external Accountants provide the Board with updates on its Financials on a few occasions throughout the year, which is evidence of the organisations commitment to maintain Corporate

Governance and Best Practice at Board and organisational level.

I wish to thank the Board, CEO, Management and staff of the organisation for assistance provided to bring this organisation to where it is today, and hope that we could take this organisation to greater heights in the coming years.

Yours Sincerely, Dilshan Perera Business Services Manager / Company Secretary

Umoona Tjutagku

Health Service Aboriginal Corporation took on a lead role not just for the Aboriginal members of our community but also for the general population particularly with COVID 19 vaccinations and swabbing and testing.

Clinic Report

The year 2021-2022 has been a year of constant change for our Clinic. The COVID 19 pandemic has kept the team on their toes. WE never knew what each day would bring. In the first half of the year, we were concerned with being prepared for the coming community outbreak of the disease as we watched cities and towns decimated by their local outbreaks.

Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Aboriginal Corporation took on a lead role not just for the Aboriginal members of our community but also for the general population particularly with COVID 19 vaccinations and swabbing and testing.

The reason we did this was to keep our vulnerable community as safe as we possibly could. Because Coober Pedy residents mingle and meet one another no matter their race,

the greater the number of people vaccinated, the better the herd protection for those more at risk.

We were also active with swabbing and testing people even before the community outbreak of COVID arrived and we used our expertise on the GeneXpert Point of Care Testing for COVID to speed up diagnosis of COVID infection not just for our own

Aboriginal community but also for those referred to us by the hospital or SA Police. The reasoning behind this was because the sooner we could diagnose COVID, the quicker that person could be isolated and prevent the spread of the disease.

By the end of December 2021, 85% of the local Aboriginal population from 12 years old and above had been given two doses of COVID vaccine. We had also vaccinated over 500 people who were non-indigenous in this period.

I believe that this has protected our community for the onslaught of COVID in 2022. By February the government had deployed the Rapid Response Team to Coober Pedy and rather than the expected rapid rise of COVID infection that would have seen massive exodus to hospitals in Adelaide, the infected numbers

Chathuranga Dias Accountant

Nicole Perera IT Systems & Communicare Suppport Officer & Finance and Payroll Officer

Sumeda Sampath Cleaner

Ahmed Bilal IT & Communicare Support Officer.

Tanil Dehigaspitiya Facilities Officer

Dilshan Perera Business Service Manager Priscilla Larkins CEO

Dhananjani Bandara Finance Officer

Admin Staff

remained within manageable limits for a prolonged number of months. The Rapid Response Team finally left the community in middle of May and none of our Aboriginal clients ever became too ill from COVID that they had to be flown out.

Balancing the demands of COVID preparedness and then COVID management has been difficult with community wide restrictions, additional work for health staff and strict infection control protocols to follow. On top of this we had to try and deliver business as usual while at the same time diverting our focus and resources towards the pandemic.

Currently, we are in the midst of recruiting to fill in most of these positions.

On a happier note, we have since welcomed Lamis Zara Gomes as our newest fulltime nurse. She has already made a difference and is becoming a familiar face advocating for the clients to receive better health care particularly from mainstream providers.

such as; Optometrist, physiotherapist, Diabetes Educator, Occupational Therapist, Exercise Physiologist, and podiatrist to ensure our clients get as many of the service they need locally particularly in this COVID climate. We also now have GPs available every week with regular visits from much needed nephrologist and cardiologist

funded by our health service. We continue to work with Rural Doctors Workforce Agency for regular visits of a female GP, some specialists and some Allied Health workers and have negotiated for a Chronic disease nurse coordinator to commence in the new year for one week a month.

Education and Trainings

At Umoona Tjutagku Health Service we strive to deliver optimal health care to all of our clients, to do so it is important that our staff are well trained and updated in various aspects of the health care industry. Services provided to our clients involve the medical receptionist team, Aboriginal Health Care Workers, nursing staff along with the support of the administration team (GP & Allied Health Service)

Health Care Workers are undertaking a Certificate III & IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice during this last year. This course will enable Aboriginal Health Care Workers; Elaine, Misho, Cindy, Aiden, Jonte, Peter and Joanne to work efficiently in conducting vital assessments, understanding the importance of administering medications, nutritional advice and supporting the emotional/physical/ social wellbeing of a person and enhancing their quality of life.

in the community, the clinic and administration have decided to increase the number of people who can conduct these examinations, both for men and women likewise. The team undertaking the Syphilis Pointof-Care Testing program this year, include Aiden, Misho, Cindy, Laura, and Lamis. This would considerably increase the chances of recognising the disease in its early stages and preventing an outbreak within the community.

The pandemic also brought to a head changes that people had been thinking about doing. So, in this period, we lost four of our nurses due to personal and family reasons. With the travel restrictions that we had gone through in this year, they had decided that if they cannot travel, then they would rather be where their families were.

At the end of June, the government told us that we will now be living with COVID as part of normal day to day life and there will no longer any Rapid Response Team to be deployed if our infection numbers rise. As write this, the latest Omicron variant is taking its foothold into the community so we are once again encouraging people to get vaccinated for COVID Winter dose as well as the annual flu.

Our staff training continues, our programs have recommenced with visits from more Allied Health Workers

Through the year, the administration urges it employees to upskill their practice in order to deliver the best outcomes for our clients. These areas include but may not be limited to health care screenings, vital assessments, chronic disease management, wound management and many more.

In order to deliver this to the community, some of our Aboriginal

Over the past years, the clinic has significantly worked towards the improving the burden of sexually transmitted infections within the community by providing education and testing of these diseases in our targeted age groups of 16 to 38 years. The team of Elaine and Iroshan have worked diligently over the past year to support the cause and test as many people they can. With the increasing number of infections

12 13 Diabetes is another disease that is prevalent within the community and education regarding the disease is of the utmost importance. Two aspects of the disease that severely impact the population is diabetic neuropathy in the feet and diabetic retinopathy. To combat these diseases which are preventable and can be controlled, Jonte, Peter, Joanne and Lamis attended a session by podiatrist Beth who explained the importance of foot care for people with diabetes;

including various methods to perform assessments. Another aspect of diabetes is retinopathy, the degradation of the eyes due to high levels of glucose in the blood. A course run by trainer Chris Rektsinis who trained Jonte, Peter, Misho, Aiden and Lamis, checking for early signs of any degradation, through visual acuity checks and digital retinal photography. Thereby preventing the unnecessary loss of limbs or eyesight.

With the increasing number Covid positive patients, there is unmatched number of people who are able to perform test for the people in the community. Increasing the number of people that can test patients can lessen the strain on those that can Aiden and Lamis would be undertaking a Respiratory Infection POCT training on the GeneXpert which would enable testing, increasing the number of people who are able to get tested.

Another course undertaken by Enrolled Nurse Lamis is the National

Immunization Program which would enable her to provide immunizations to the community along with the other registered nurses at the clinic.

Along with specifically run courses, generalized run courses for all people working at the clinic include, providing First Aid and CPR, Manual handling, and Cultural Awareness programs. The clinic hopes to provide the community with the health services they require and are entitled too by upskilling their employees and providing the necessary trainings.

Episodes of Care, For Comparison

Impact of COVID -19

Since the start of the year when COVID had hit the town of Coober Pedy it’s been a very rough road to travel on for most organisations, especially for the health industry.

Most of the resources we would normally use to ensure that our patients are provided with the best possible care we can offer has been challenged with the needs of also keeping COVID at bay. We also had to ensure that it does not cause our community any panic, confusion, or detrimental effects on all our wellbeing.

As most know, all patients must complete a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) before entering the building. This itself is a needed arm to ensure the safety of all staff and patients within the organisation but it has also has imposed a bottle neck to our timely routine of getting the patient the care

they need as quick as possible. It has also frightened off a few patients, knowing they have to be tested every time before they enter the building, which we all know is pain but for our safety and our families’ we must do. Early last year when the Pfizer vaccination had been approved by the Australian Government, we had a very good attendance from the community in receiving their 1st and 2nd vaccine which was an accomplishment for Umoona Health. We had ventured into areas we were not too familiar with such as mass community testing and vaccinating for the whole community, not just the Aboriginal community. We had an outstanding outcome thanks to the community and our staff. Umoona was working closely with SA Pathology during the outbreak acquiring nurses from Adelaide and sending them out with our staff to do outreach trips into the community to do Rapid Antigen Test and PCR test on community members. Unfortunately, this also spread our workers thin and

brought on a bigger workload for staff, with some working until 10:00 pm for days on weeks running tests, but in the end we got done what needed to be done. We are trying to get back to the levels we were working before COVID but with COVID this time. There was more behind the scenes and what has been impacted but this was just a quick insight. There is still more to be done and more challenges to overcome but if we all work as a team, we can continue to provide good outcomes.

Arlene Ackland Clinic Manager

H4L Report

Another year has gone by, the staff of the Healthy for Life are slowly getting back on tracks with programme’s The women’s health clinical team comprises of 1 Health Worker, 1 registered Nurse and Maternal health nurse. Together the team works to address women’s health business across different age groups in a safe, respectful, and culturally appropriate manner. The women’s health team aims to bridge the gap in health care for the women of Coober Pedy and surrounding area’s by supporting clients with the engagement and attendance regarding vital annual health check’s, cervical screening, breast screening and appointments for other general health concerns.

Together the team works to address women’s health business across different age groups in a safe, respectful, and culturally appropriate manner.

The H4L team will also focus on the mothers and their babies from 0-5years old. We have developed a pathway for the women from the time they are pregnant to the delivery of their child. Healthy for Life will be working alongside of:

• Women’s and Children Hospital

• Port Augusta Hospital

• PATS

• Auangu bibi

• Birthing House in Port Augusta

• Step Down Port Augusta

Other activities at the H4L building for mum’s and bubs are music and Rhyme time, painting, water play, bike riding.

For mum’s, pamper days, cooking on a budget, healthy eating for babies. Improvement at the H4L building is a beautiful mural on our treatment room wall, for the women and babies to see.

We thank Roweena Williams for the beautiful art work on our wall.

Other area’s we will be focusing on are,

• Child immunisation

• Child Health Check

• Speech and Language

• Speech and Language

• Fine Motor Skills

• Baby growth and development

• Dental Program for 0-5

Client Survey

Clients were asked to answe the following questions by circling the mos appropriate answer:

1. How long have you been a client with Umoona Tjutagku Health Service?

Less than ne years 3 1-2 years 3 2-5 years 8

5-10 years 14

Over 10 years 15

2. From the below list, which services do you access at Umoona Tjutagku Health Service?

General Practioner 40 Allied Health 24 Specialists 25 Nurses 37 Health workers 25

Support attending appointments 23 Travel to Port Augusta of Adelaide 21 for Medical appointments

3. How satisfied are you with the support provided by Umoona Tjutagku Health Service?

Very satisfied 29

Satisfied 14

Dissatisfied 1 Extremely dissatisfied

4. How significant do you feel this program has helped in improving your health condition?

Very important 30 Important 11 Not important 3

4. How can we improve the services?

• Larger waiting room

• Pick up for programs

• More food - Kangaroo stew

• Keeping up the good work

• Happy with the service

• Umoona are doing just fine

• More chairs in the waiting room

• Availability for appointments

Clinic Staff

Drug and Alcohol Services Report

This report will provide an overview of the year’s activities and essential reports relating to activities and individual programs.

The Robin Walker Day Centre continues to provide holistic regional and culturally appropriate Substance Misuse, harm minimisation, and primary health care services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the local region.

The Day Centre comprises Drug and Alcohol Services, AOD services, Social and Emotional Wellbeing Services, Youth Programs and Substance Misuse programs from Coober Pedy to Oodnadatta and surrounding areas. We are very active in positively addressing the health inequality in each of our local communities. Our approach is to “provide health services addressing not just the physical well-being of

the individual but also the social, emotional and cultural well-being of the whole community”.

We continued to grow and consolidate as a significant player in our sector, demonstrating that Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations show a clear path forward to prevent and manage the health issues of

Indigenous People. Through active listening at the grassroots, deeply understanding our community’s needs, as well as hearing directly from the families and the individuals requiring tailored support, and then responding with effective, culturally appropriate solutions, we continue to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

Cynthia Dodd Aboriginal Health Worker

Misho Miller Trainee Health Worker

Elaine O’toole Aboriginal Health Worker

Joanne Williams Female Health Worker

Jonte Larkins Trainee Health Worker Peter Tsakiridis Trainee Health Worker

Josie Warrior H4L Coordinator Shobhavie Kohombange Practice Manager Laura Larkins Assistant Practice Manager Arlene Ackland Clinic Manager

Theresa Joseph Registered Nurse Petrea Mueller Registered Nurse

Damien Riessen Health Promotions Officer

Lamis Gomes Enrolled Nurse

Vindya Perera Medical Receptionist

Chamodi Jayasinghe Asst.Medical Receptionist

Jing Nie Registered Nurse Stefani Cirillo Registered Nurse

Iroshan Arangala Program Coordinator

I am pleased to present the Drug and Alcohol Services (DAS) report for the year 2021/2022.

Despite Covid-19 restrictions, this year has been another productive but exhausting year at Robin Walker Drug and Alcohol Service Centre.

Services covered by the Robin Walker Day Centre Drug and Alcohol Centre include such services as: -

• Drug and alcohol health promotion

• Disease prevention

• Substance misuse

• Suicide Prevention

• AOD social workers

• Youth & Mental Health Services

• Drug and Alcohol Research Service Support

• ICE prevention

Drug and Alcohol Centre is conducting many successful programs to improve the standard of living in Coober Pedy.

The Drug and alcohol service provides several programs each designed to follow the organisation’s vision of providing quality services to clients. Ongoing programs are

• Breakfast and hygiene program

• Music Program

• Women and Men’s healthy cooking group

• Arts & Crafts

• Sporting Programs (Soccer, Basketball)

• Gym Program

• Bush trips

• After Hours Mental Health programs

Drug and Alcohol service uses innovative ways to engage with its clients. The programs are developed to maintain client identity and a sense

of dignity. The programs provide contemporary information about a range of topics relevant to the target group and are delivered in a culturally appropriate manner in the group setting. In addition, these clients can also be engaged on a one-on-one basis in either a formal setting or at home.

In addition to the programs, the Drug and Alcohol service has undertaken a deliberate path in collaboration with Clinical Services to provide ongoing information around COVID-19 Vaccines and how to live with COVID safely. We have met some great people along the way who have supported our community in testing and delivering great service through this tough time. Ralph Naeim and Daniel Siwek from SA pathology have shown amazing community services and provided testing to the community. The first week was tough for these young lads who worked in extreme heat but showed great

commitment. Clayton Fopp the Principal Operations Coordinator for SA Health showed great leadership and management of the COVID team during his time in Coober Pedy. They all were able to work closely with the community and provide on-theground support. These guys should be recognised for the great work they did during the most vulnerable times. We definitely couldn’t thank them enough.

This year saw some sad sorry business in the community, DAS staff were able to support these families in grief and provide ongoing support at funerals and after. Grief shows how the community can pull together and health and support each other during this time.

Breakfast and Hygiene program

The staff continued to engage with clients during the breakfast program year has slowed down due to noncompliant clients coming from APY and using the program as a feed fest. So, we had clamped down on access and encourage access to these programs must show some commitment to accessing services to encourage plans to increase alcohol intake. This has gained social workers time to engage with follow-up in the mornings with clients that want to quit and seek extra support.

The Hygiene Program has improved where clients are more and more reaching out for this service each day. We were able to purchase a larger washing machine so that clients can wash blankets and do a full load of washing which helps them to live a healthier life.

Custody Management

Drug and Alcohol Service and SAPOL are continually working closely to manage the Liquor Licensing Laws and sale of alcohol to non-indigenous people buying for aboriginal clients. This time around we saw a reduction in domestic violence and assaults. If any clients are in custody our after-hours staff will check up on clients and provide emotional support to ensure safety.

Our social workers also support clients that are already in the DAS program with ongoing support letters to corrections if required. This shows that our clients are receiving ongoing care and counselling to address their grief, taking into consideration that Prison is not the answer to our client’s needs.

Community Engagement:

Through ongoing engagement, community members have told us that the most relevant needs in the community are Drug and Alcohol, Housing, Mental Health, Lack of Employment Opportunities etc. The organisation has been doing its best to address these concerns within the funding guidelines.

Our regular Psychiatrist, Doctor Heather Brownlow has been visiting a lot more often this year and the clients have shown tremendous acceptance in the community. These are some of the comments below;

“ The Psychiatrist is busy; I’ll see her again next time”

“The AOD staff take time out to support and help me”

“DAS staff help us with everything in the community”

“The staff take time to listen”

“Going through my darkest moments I was able to talk to social workers without being judged”

“The bush trips are the best”

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my staff for pushing limits and getting out of their way to encourage clients to get into Rehab.

From this, we were able to get the highest stats of clients admitted into rehab for help over the past couple of years. We also get to see positive outcomes for the betterment of

our client’s future. Thanks to the Senior Management and Board for their ongoing leadership and dedication in supporting changes to the way we actively participate in the community. Thank you to the Community police Officers Dean Walker, Chris Warrior, Bobby Bailes and Jordan Bird. Without your encouragement we would continue to see an ongoing cycle. You guys were able to break the cycle and break barriers to show that we can work together to make a major difference in the lives of our people.

I dedicate this year’s successful client to Steven Miller who has shown an enormous achievement and continues to shine every day. He has given me the strength to continue my work in a different capacity.

Thanks to All for your ongoing support.

Patrick Larkins

Programs and Attendees

AOD Group Ice workshop

AOD Oodnadatta visit program

SEWB – Arts and crafts

SEWB – Healthy cooking

Women’s Gym program

Women’s health check

Women’s pampering program

Men’s Healthy cooking

Men’s Gym program

Men’s music program

Youth Basketball program

Youth soccer program

Kid’s movie program

Cultural Awareness Program

Covid vaccination push BBQ programs

Flu Vaccination push BBQ programs

Men’s Pitstop program

Program

After Hours Mental Health (AHMH)

Who are After Hours Mental Health (AHMH) workers?

The After-Hours Mental Health (AHMH) team, works at the Drug and Alcohol Day Center, is a core part of Umoona Tjutagku Health Services. This team’s major goal is to offer after-hours mental health services to clients in the Umoona community.

An Aboriginal Health Worker and a qualified social worker who is registered with the AASW make up the team. The AHMH staff works later than the typical 9 to 5 schedule because they are open until 8:00 pm. The team works for three hours on Saturday from 12:00pm-03:00pm.

The mental health team in the Coober Pedy region has assisted individuals who were dealing with anxiety,

depression, stress, or a mental illness episode. Case management, home visits, client follow-ups, and the organization of COVID-19 education programs were all done by staff.

Our Engagement

Additionally, the AHMH team collaborates with the Coober Pedy hospital. Staff members do visit the Coober Pedy hospital after hours to see whether any clients or patients need assistance. If a client has experienced a mental health episode, the AHMH team will assess the client, enroll the client using our triage system (depending on the case), and conduct follow-ups to ensure the client is safe and doing well. In addition, the AHMH team pays a visit to the SAPOL station in Coober Pedy to support clients who are in custody due to something they have done because of their mental illness. The AHMH team supports the clients and works to prevent revolving control situations involving patients who have mental illnesses. In order to help the residents of the community, the AHMH team also collaborates with other Coober Pedy stakeholders including Aboriginal Family Support Services, Community Health Services, Uniting Country SA,

Red Cross SA, etc. Staff do follow ups with clients in after hours to make sure clients are being supported.

Strategies implemented through our process…

The initial assessment is the first step in our triage approach at the Drug and Alcohol Centre Day Center upon receiving client referrals. Clients are directed to the social worker for case management and enrolment when this assessment is done.

Setting specific goals and utilizing a person-centered approach are two ways that social workers work with their clients. Our social worker use techniques including motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and narrative therapy, among others. When working with the Indigenous residents of the Coober Pedy community, our team employs culturally competent practices.

Additionally, we have a psychologist who comes in every two months and a psychiatrist who comes in every four weeks at Umoona Tjutagku Health Services. Following an initial assessment with clients conducted by social worker, clients may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist depending on their circumstances.

Additionally, following sessions with clients, Mental Health Care Plans for each client is done based on their needs, which are later approved by a visiting General Practitioner. To ensure that clients are effectively supported, care is given to those clients in accordance with their mental health care plans.

Success Story

Adam, a 57-year-old Aboriginal man who needed treatment for his depression and anxiety, was referred to our AHMH team. The client had trouble sleeping and even staying focused on simple tasks. Our staff did the assessment and enrolled the client in AHMH services after receiving the referral. The AHMH team established an excellent professional rapport with the client before referring him to a visiting psychiatrist for additional help. The staff assisted the client in routinely attending his appointments and conducted routine home visits and follow-ups with him. The client’s mental health had significantly improved after three months, and the client valued the assistance from the AHMH team.

Our services during Covid-19 pandemic

The client’s feedback is summarized above. This is one of the success stories that our team has made.

In addition, social workers and Aboriginal health professionals have yarn with the locals while visiting communities to inform them of the services that are offered. The importance of mental health is also discussed by the staff. Covid19-related education campaigns were primarily conducted over the phone where clients were informed of how they can be safe, especially during pandemic times. Additionally, it was advised to

clients to always wear masks and to acquire their COVID-19 vaccinations. According to SA Health’s guidelines, we were required to minimize our face-to-face encounters with clients during the epidemic. However, we kept providing our client with services over the phone. The staff contacted clients over the phone on a regular basis to check in with them and gave them the necessary supports.

Why AHMH is important for the people in Umoona community

After learning that there was no help for those coping with mental health issues, an after-hours mental health team was established in Coober Pedy. Clients must go a great distance for professional support because Coober Pedy is an outback Australian town. For both the locals and residents of nearby towns like Oodnadatta, Indulkana, Marla, Kadney Park, etc., having a mental health service in Cobber Pedy is highly beneficial. We have helped our clients in the times of need, and we will continue to do so.

“I am very happy with the support you have provided me; it was all messed up before but now everything is going ok, I really appreciate it”

Dunjiba Centre

My name is Darryl Braund and am the new Substance Misuse Worker in Oodnadatta. Prior to recently starting this position on May 25th have been living here in a caravan with my wife for 7 months, slowly getting to know the community through volunteer work - mostly gardening, arts and aged care. I grew up in regional SA and have lived in every state of Australia, and tried a variety of jobs. also have 40 years lived experience and recovery from AOD addictions, and subsequent training in Disability Work, Pastoral Care, Mental Health, and Art therapy.

In this position am to continuing to build relationships, trust and hope for a holistically healthier future for the Dunjiba Community. This will be enhanced by working more closely with the DAS team, using more Arts for expression, and encouraging unity, and promoting inter-agency collaboration that creates activities

and services for social and cultural health. We have had some positive steps made in this direction already: mentoring a client to get a job and planning a men’s camp - both with Bungala Aged Care, and during our recent NAIDOC celebrations UTHS sponsored a BBQ, arts, and movie activity at the Town Hall, which included four successful boomerang-making workshops and we also supported other community agency’s activities throughout the week, in collaboration with Dunjiba Council.

Drug and Alcohol Services Staff

Donald and Darryl - Community gardeners

Michael Liptsey After Hours Mental Health Worker

Jayden Muller Admin Support Officer

Koshani Yatawara SEWB Worker

Takdir Singh After Hours Mental Health Worker

Aiden Ackland Trainee Health Worker

Padmini Rana AOD Worker

Darryl Braund Substance Misuse Worker - Dunjiba

Chathuri Aberathna AOD Worker Gnanika Chandrasena AOD Worker

Patrick Larkins DAS Manager

Robert Hele Senior Aboriginal Health Worker

Thilina Rathnamala Program Coordinator

Leel Hasitha Program Coordinator

Precella Sumner Aboriginal Health Worker

AOD Social Workers are conducting programs in the community in Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta. These preventative programs are developed to focus on providing education and support on alcohol and other drugs, these are a means of empowering people to regain a sense of control and mastery over their lives and include strategies that are Indigenous-led, family focused, culturally responsive, and context-specific. The report depicts that the people residing in outer regional and remote Australia are at least as likely, if not more likely, to experience health risk factors, with smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption.

According to Coober Pedy State of the Town report (2020) it has declared that approximately 36.7% of men are consuming alcohol who are residing in outer regional areas. However, AOD team plan appropriate programs and treatment plans in regards to awareness of substance use.

Providing

Social Workers includes:

Brief Intervention

Brief interventions are the evidencebased approach which aims to inform people that their drinking levels have increased and they are at merge of risk of depend alcohol, hence they might face long-term or short-term consequences of them.

This intervention is used by our AOD team in order to make difference in the lives of Aboriginal community.

These sessions assist people to think to make a change in their lives by thinking differently about alcohol and other substance use. AOD’s deliver these sessions by keeping privacy and confidentiality, and it is an integrated approach to mental health and substance abuse treatment plans.

Advice and Educational programs

These programs are designed by AOD team in UTHSAC to provide education about the risks and consequences could be faced by people by using alcohol and other drugs. Additionally, what are things they can do by themselves to make a change such as how to divert their minds to avoid cravings of smoking, what strategies could be used to avoid relapse after they stop or cut down alcohol.

Ice Workshop

AOD Social Workers conduct “ICE” workshop in the community for local community in Coober Pedy, SA. This workshop is directly linked to the AOD education and awareness of the clients. In the meantime, respective officers can allocate their time to yarn with the client’s regarding their concerns which will support AOD social workers to understand client’s behavioural patterns as well. This will help in AOD case management and follow ups. When these programs are conducted, Aboriginal staff is included in order to maintain cultural sensitivity as well to engage with clients too.

AOD client Follow ups

AOD team do daily home visits and follow up sessions about client’s wellbeing, health, need assistance with appointments with GP’s or any other help. For client with high-risk

AOD’s plan daily home visit in order to motivate clients who are not coming outside their homes, missing appointments with GP’s, so AOD’s encourage clients to come forward and make a change to themselves. We have made a specific treatment plan for our clients, which articulates daily follow ups, early prevention of relapse and post-treatment follow ups.

Home visit/check visits

Social Workers are supporting Aboriginal community by doing Community visits and home visits, daily-follow up sessions, check visits, outreach, brief intervention and case managements. Home visits are the initial step for building rapport, and trust by applying interpersonal skills and professional knowledge.

AOD Counselling

Counselling sessions are offered to clients by maintaining privacy and confidentially in regards to their AOD concerns and to improve their quality of life also, improving mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing. Counselling, mental health promotion activities and harm reduction and suicide prevention programs have been shown to work, at times, in Aboriginal communities.

Oodnadatta Visit

Oodnadatta service delivery every fortnight for Aboriginal community in Oodnadatta in order to follow up, case management, advice and education, drug and alcohol counselling, health check and to listen to Aboriginal clients. AOD team build rapport and trust, apply motivational interviewing techniques and then in these ways work to moderate the AOD issues, traumatic experiences of the clients, grief and loss, and various other issues during their visits in Oodnadatta.

Access to Rehabilitation

AOD team follow various techniques to work with Aboriginal Peoples. Our team, find out at what stage of change is client for example, precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Accordingly, team work with client after informed consent, applying various strategies of motivational interviewing, which is evident for behavioural change. Further, with the client’s consent and motivation we send clients to rehabilitation centres in order to change drug-seeking behaviour, teach harm minimisation strategies to reduce the harms associated with drug use for individual and communities. UTHSAC provide clients various day to day necessities such as food, sanitisation and hygiene equipment’s as a motivation.

Why our AOD services are unique in the community.

Our Drug and Alcohol Day centre is located in one of the most outer regional areas of South Australia in which approximately two thirds of the population is of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Most of which our community is having alcohol and other drugs issues because of which they have deteriorating mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, and

physical health, illegitimate charges, dealing with police and other offenses charges as well. Clients residing in these remote areas need to have access to AOD social workers in order to deal with difficulties and challenges they are facing in their day to day lives because of AOD issues. As there are no other specialised treatment facilities for AOD particularly,

methamphetamine provided by other organisations except our organization in Coober Pedy and Oodnadatta. Limited access to the services will result into negative impact on client’s wellbeing, community, family of the client as there will be more chances of an individual to get involved into drug and alcohol hence results into increased incarceration rate in Coober Pedy and individual will get no chance

to improve them. Additionally, if we cannot find their level of dependence on alcohol and other drugs specifically, methamphetamine how social workers can able to support our community into closing the gap whose overarching aim to reduce marginalisation among First nation Australians with respect to employment, health, education, and other areas.

What strategies AOD social workers applying

AASW Accredited social workers often apply person-centred approach when they engage with their clients in the community to reduce drug-related harms for indigenous people including individuals, families, and communities. Moreover, AOD team use different social work strategies to reduce level of stress, grief, and anxiety as well. This strategy assists to strengthen and support the social work profession to deliver high quality, effective and safe service in a challenging environment. AOD program consists brief interventions, counselling sessions, and advice and education sessions to get the success outcome from alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Motiavtional Interviewing

Systems Theory

Behavioural Therapy

Success Story

Kay (26), a single mother, was referred to the Drug & Alcohol Services (DAS) Centre by staff at Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Aboriginal Corporation due to her alcohol problem. Kay is from Coober Pedy, and she wasn’t particularly addicted to alcohol or other drugs when she was younger. Key became addicted to drugs as a result of her financial, social, and emotional problems. Kay lost her social connections, began to isolate herself from her own family and community, and eventually became addicted to drugs. Kay lost her part-time job as a result of this; she did not consider her physical and mental health during this period, even did not consider her hygiene and sanitation.

More importantly, her child was removed from the custody of the Department of Child Protection. Kay’s life was then turned upside down. Because the client couldn’t sleep well, and she developed an eating disorder as well as a mental imbalance. Her addiction turned her entire life and which negatively impacted for her physical, mental, and emotional well-being. She struggled with both addiction and sadness. The client came to us after being referred by a family friend. Kay agreed to AOD treatment on the

advice of our AOD workers, and the experience was transformative. AOD employees took the time to explain the internal and external programs to her. She’d been in DAS alcohol and other programs for six months, and she’d also kept all of her psychiatrist and psychologist appointments on time. This was extremely beneficial to her understanding of how AOD workers assist clients in overcoming their alcohol and other drug problems.

AOD staff primarily used Motivation Intervention, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Narrative Therapy during their counselling sessions. Brief interventions, alcohol advice and education, and daily client follow-ups all played important roles in Kay’s success journey. This includes not only the approaches used by AOD workers, but also how optimistic they are about their clients and their lives, how they look forwards, and how they encourage their clients to enjoy each day as it comes. These were some of the positive key factors that influenced Kay’s later life. Kay has been sobering for a while now, and she understands why it is critical to avoid drinking and using drugs. To pass the time, the client no longer requires alcohol or other drugs. Kay has returned to work, and it is encouraging to see.

AOD case management

AOD case plan review

AOD enrolment

AOD exit/case closure

AOD Group Ice Workshop

AOD Oodnadatta visit Program

Advice and education on alcohol

DAS Brief Intervention

Follow up Client

Home visit

DAS check visit

DAS counselling Advocacy/ Liaison

Chathuri Abeyrathna Padmini Rana Gnanika Chandrasena

The health of an Aboriginal individual is contextualised within the mental health, physical health, cultural and spiritual health, and SEWB is at its peak when there are harmonious and healthy connections across all the domains.

Social and Emotional Wellbeing Report

Why is SEWB important to Aboriginal People?

Concept of Social Emotional Well-being (SEWB) is focused on physical wellbeing of the individual and the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the Aboriginal community in a holistic approach and the term recognises the significance of connection to land, culture, spirituality, ancestry, family and community as well as composed from the seven domains such as body, mind and emotions, family and kinship, community, culture, country, and spirituality. Therefore, the health of an Aboriginal individual is contextualised within the mental health, physical

health, cultural and spiritual health, and SEWB is at its peak when there are harmonious and healthy connections across all the domains. UTHS Social Emotional Wellbeing program service provision highlights this holistic concept and proceeds through the network of relationships between individuals, family, kin and community in Coober Pedy and values the connection to land, culture, spirituality and ancestry, and how they are affecting the Aboriginal individuals.

Clients’ feedbacks/ success stories

SEWB team received positive feedbacks during programs last year and was able to deliver group sessions aligned to the program objectives and to meet participants’ expectations. They have become closer and opened up with the SEWB staff without any hesitations.

During this time period, SEWB team succeeded to gain trust, build up relationships and were able to create a pathway to DAS and meet SEWB team when they need any supports. During this time period, SEWB staff helped to improve seven domains in Social Emotional wellbeing in clients and it is visible from the changes in the lifestyle of the clientele.

As an example, one client incarcerated and then referred to rehab process with Footsteps, Port Augusta and the AOD counsellor from Footsteps helped the client to keep the relationship with SEWB staff constantly as a part

of his recovery journey and he was able to achieve his goal to continue to maintain abstinence from alcohol use once he comes back in his community. SEWB team managed to occupy the client by offering gardening work at DAS as a relapse management and assisted to get safe accommodation. Now he has become a positive role model to his family and community members and also able to quit his smoking as well.

Moreover, SEWB team got advised from psychiatrist to follow a client daily regarding his medications. SEWB staff successfully continued his medications and helped to improve his hygiene over the year by encouraging him to come to DAS daily.

Another client who has overcome his hard time within the support of SEWB team said “I am always appreciating the services had during my hard times and I am willingly encourage others to get support from DAS SEWB team”.

How SEWB program liaised with the external stake holders

One of the key elements of the SEWB program is assisting and referring clients to UTHSAC Drug and Alcohol services and other local service providers in Coober Pedy. SEWB team followed the organisation’s

policy and procedures (and the aspects of culturally appropriate, person-centred, recovery-oriented, social determinants, strength-based approach and trauma-informed care) to liaise other organisations regarding housing issues, Centrelink matters, funeral assistance, financial problems, domestic violence and mental health issues. SEWB team

worked closely with the external stakeholders to assist and to meet the needs of Aboriginal clients in regards to their SEWB concerns. SEWB staff liaised clients with Centacare catholic Country SA, Red Cross, Aboriginal Family Support (AFSS), Coober Pedy hospital, AMYAC and Centrelink to get the services they wanted to and achieved positive outcomes. SEWB team has maintained internal and external referral processes aligned with the improved case management process and being successful in service provision within the team work. Clients were referred internally to AOD supports, visiting psychologist or psychiatrist and after hours mental health supports and referred externally to other agencies and mainly to UTHS clinic while managing external referrals from other agencies to follow up the Aboriginal clients.

Outline of the SEWB services

UTHSAC was able to get consistent Psychologist and Psychiatrist services to DAS, through Dr. Ana Tu (The Psychologist) and Dr. Heather Brownlee (The Psychiatrist), SEWB staff has been working closely with them as well as the Aboriginal mental health clients to initiate their attendance to the appointments and continued follow ups after the appointments to enhance their recovery journey with the collaboration of AOD team and After-hours mental health team. Clients achieved more access to the DAS services as well as benefits from this joint effort and it opened in to enhance mental wellness, reduction of substance abuse, violence and access to the traditional and contemporary healing practice. Moreover, elaborated DAS client enrolment process and referral process have helped to maintain records in Communicare and effectiveness of the follow up process.

Covid-19 and SEWB service provision

Covid-19 pandemic affected UTHS service delivery last year as well but during this pandemic time, SEWB program tried to deliver extreme ongoing support for the affected people by providing basic needs as food, clothes, water etc. and counselling sessions which included mental health care, selfcare strategies, advice and education for the clients using interventions based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Loss and Grief Counselling, Motivational interviewing, person centred approach, anger management, Recovery frame-work, healing models, relapse prevention and one on one social work counselling strategies/skills. SEWB program targeted to interact individuals in face to face rather than contacting them over the phone during this Covid-19 time period by taking all

the precautions and measures in to the count as much as they can. But due to the health guild lines and measures, SEWB team had to follow up clients over the phone aligned with the organisation’s policy and procedures but tried to identify their basic needs and provided as soon as possible. For an example, UTHS had the forethought to provide few washing machines and refrigerators to the clients who had hard-ships as a pre-plan to a Covid lock down. That time was critical for everyone in the community and SEWB team had to get initiatives to support and provide SEWB services to maintain their social emotional wellbeing in first place.

SEWB Women’s Programs

According to an another objective of SEWB program, staff conducted group sessions while continuing follow ups and counselling and provided support informally while visiting individuals at home. SEWB team has arranged women’s programs, pampering programs, community events and health checks programs to meet set up individual goals and helped people to achieve them. Moreover, group sessions were conducted separately for men and women and community events mainly focused around client vaccinations for Covid-19/ Flu and women’s screenings and health checks lined up with the Covid-19 measures.

How SEWB staff developed much needed skill set

To become skilful SEWB team with the expertise of cultural awareness and the proficiency of social and emotional wellbeing concepts, SEWB team always focused on to update knowledge and to get trainings. Also, worked hard to achieve accreditation from Australian Association of Social Workers by participating ongoing supervision with Mr. George Laslett (qualified senior social worker) and continuing professional development (CPD). SEWB staff participated online and face-to-face network forums and training sessions which were organised by Nunkuwarrin Yunti of South Australia, Australian Association of Social Workers and Mental health professional network. SEWB staff had the opportunity to participate two days’ work-shop with Marumali program which is based on to improve the quality of support available to

survivors of the stolen generation by introducing “the journey of the healing model”.

As an another main objective of the SEWB program is to assist and organise Bringing Them Home /Link-up program and SEWB staff had new aspects of knowledge from this training in regards to the supportive net-work and service provision for the survivors of stolen generation.

food and clothes during the Covid 19 pandemic period. People who couldn’t go shopping were highly appreciating the effort and am taking this opportunity to thank the KHALSA AID team on behalf of UTHSAC.

• Assisted and organise Bringing Them Home Link-up program.

• Liaised with mental health clinicians, Coordinate monthly Psychiatrist visits and organise face to face appointments or Tele Psychiatry.

• Facilitated women’s programs (Art and Crafts/ Healthy Cooking)

Support for Coober Pedy community

Further, SEWB team has managed to maintain good relationship with KHALSA-AID Australia, an international non-profit humanitarian organization who wishes to provide constant support to Coober Pedy Aboriginal community and SEWB team was able to get bulk of donations twice last year. This helped the SEWB team and AOD team to help the clients with

• Provided counselling support including; Narrative therapy, Grief and loss counselling, Motivational interviewing, person centred therapy and Anger management counselling.

• Referrals and case management

• Community engagement, outreach

• Assisted and refer clients UTHSAC Drug and Alcohol services and other local service providers in Coober Pedy.

• Organised cultural activities, Yarning circles and programs

• Provided continuous Support and Resilience

• Provided case management and coordination support

• Advocated on behalf of individuals, families or groups.

• Provided crisis support

The SEWB program targets to protect cultural identity and to enable cultural

determinants through supported and protected culturally appropriate practice by promoting arts and crafts, music, yarning circles, ceremonies, healing, spirituality, resilience, language, cultural groups/spaces and empowerment. It will improve Social Emotional wellbeing and maximise the accessibility and the benefits for the clients in SEWB service provision. Also, SEWB program is always willing to assist you in many ways to overcome your Social Emotional Wellbeing challenges/concerns and we are more than happy to help you. All what you have to do is, come to Robin Walker Drug and Alcohol Centre during the opening hours and make an appointment to meet a SEWB team member.

Koshani Yatawarra SEWB Worker

Services provided by the SEWB/BTH program includes

Cases

gender

Cultural awareness can help you break down cultural barriers and build bridges, by learning how to appreciate and respect those who are different from you.

Sports & Physical Coordinator Report

Program Coordinator

Being the day centre of Umoona Tjutagku Health Service, the Drug and Alcohol Centre regularly conducts programs to make the Aboriginal people busy during the day. The program coordinator was able to conduct several events for the last year for the Aboriginal people. The Drug and Alcohol team received some positive feedback from the clients who participated in the programs.

The Program Coordinator was able to conduct:

• Men’s Pitstop program

• Cultural Awareness Programs

• Covid 19 Vaccination push BBQ programs

• Flu Vaccination push BBQ programs

Meanwhile, the Program Coordinator was able to help the SEWB team and AHMH team with their programs, and the DAS team for the breakfast program.

Men’s Pitstop program

“Pit Stop” is a health program that aims to engage men of all ages by likening areas of the body to parts in a car. It is run as a series of stations, each involving a quick, simple health check. The environment of the Pit Stop stations is non-medical and is a comfortable and fun setting that allows participants to overcome any apprehension they may have about going to a doctor or presenting with a specific problem. Developed by the Gascoyne Public Health Unit in Western Australia, the Pit Stop program was designed to be a mobile service that could go to male-dominated areas and events and provide a quick health check-up in a masculine and welcoming environment. Pit Stop delivers:

• A masculine, mechanical concept that is attached to a series of men’s health screening tests and provides an engaging comfortable backdrop while introducing an element of humour.

Health professionals were able to advise on the following ‘stations.’

• Chassis Check (waist circumference)

• Fuel additives (alcohol consumption)

• Oil Pressure (blood pressure)

• Spark Plugs (testicles)

• Extractor (colorectal cancer)

• Shock absorbers (coping skills)

We, Umoona Tjutagku Health Service, held the Pitstop program on 7th of August 2021 at Drug and Alcohol center from 06.30 pm to 08.30 pm with a BBQ session. We had 13 male clients for the program getting their blood and urine checked and were able to see the doctor as well. The clients had a yarn with the doctor and Alcohol and Other Drugs social workers during the program. The clients were very happy about the program and its inclusions of the program. We had a significant client’s feedbacks on that.

Cultural Awareness program

People from different cultural backgrounds often have different styles of verbal and physical communication. For example, in some cultures, greetings are shown with a bow instead of a handshake. In other cultures, direct eye contact is deemed impolite, whereas in some places it’s a sign of honesty and trust.

Cultural awareness can help you break down cultural barriers and build bridges, by learning how to appreciate and respect those who are different from you.

As you come to understand more about yourself and your own culture, you’ll learn how to relate better to individuals from different cultural backgrounds.

Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Drug and Alcohol team organized the Cultural Awareness Program with a

BBQ session on 05/03/2022 with 18 Aboriginal clients from Coober Pedy, Mimili, and Indulkana in front of DAS.

Covid 19 and Flu Vaccine push BBQ program

Drug and Alcohol team helped the Clinic to get the clients for the Covid 19 and Flu vaccinations few times during the last year. That was including BBQ sessions and Covid 19 Advice and Education sessions with the help of social workers and Aboriginal Health workers.

Meanwhile, Umoona Tjutagku Health Service was able to get RFDS nurses two times for the vaccination program. The two efforts were very successful and UTHS had a number of positive feedbacks from RFDS nurses’ team and the clients. And again

Umoona Tjutagku Health Service management offered clients and their

families Kettles, Toasters, Microwave ovens, swags and blankets, Gift vouchers etc to encourage the clients to get their vaccinations on time.

Clients were thankful for the Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Drug and Alcohol and Clinic team for the effort they were putting on getting the clients vaccinations as per SA Health instructions. Our team was always in front of the vaccination process among the township.

Sports and Physical Activies Importance

Sports are very essential for every human life which keeps them fit and fine and physical strength. It has great importance in each stage of life. It also improves the personality of people. Sports keep all organs alert and our hearts become stronger by regularly playing some kind of sports.

Sports are a crucial part of a student’s growth and development. They help in the development of mental health and physical fitness of the body. Through participation in sports and games, a person gains various skills, experience and confidence that are helpful for developing their personality.

Exercise and physical activities control weight. Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss, combats health conditions and diseases, improves mood. boosts energy, promotes better sleep, puts the spark back into your sex life, and also can be fun and social. Also sports and physical activities gain you immediate benefits, weight management, reduce your health risk, strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, increase your chances of living longer, and manage chronic health conditions & disabilities.

Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Drug and Alcohol centre Sports and Physical activities coordinator was able to organise number of events to gain the above benefits for the aboriginal clients.

Youth Basketball Program

Basketball is a fast-moving game that involves a lot of variety, including shooting, dribbling, passing, rebounding, defence and much more. And also, basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world and one of the most widely viewed. It is a team sport that involves two teams of five active players each trying to score points against one another by throwing a ball through a 300 cm (10 feet) high hoop (the ‘basket’) under organised rules. It is played on both indoor and outdoor courts.

Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Youth and adults in Coober Pedy love playing and watching others playing basketball. Therefore, Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Sports and Physical activities and Safety and Wellbeing team holds Basketball Program every Monday 06.00pm – 08.00pm at the outdoor basketball court with the help of other internal (After Hours Mental Health team) and external stakeholders. We were able to get a decent number of kids and youth aboriginal and few non aboriginal clients for this program.

Men’s Healthy Cooking Program

Healthy Cooking on a regular basis can help prevent chronic illnesses. the bones and organs, and depriving the body of essential nutrients. Such effects automatically put you at an increased risk of health problems including type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, etc.

Our choices of food and recipes have a huge impact on our health and wellness. A good startingpoint for better health and fitness is the way you cook. If you are interested in eating healthy as a part of your lifestyle changes, healthy cooking is something you should prioritize.

To encourage the Aboriginal men having healthy food and make them interested in cooking their food in healthy and safety way, Umoona Tjutagku health service Drug and Alcohol Sports and Physical activities

coordinator conducted healthy cooking programs on Wednesday from 10.00am to 12.00 pm on a regular basis and was able to get a decent number of Aboriginal clients and lots of positive feedbacks and suggestions from the participants.

During the program, there were some sessions talking about Drug and Alcohol issues, mental health issues and other health issues.

Men’s Music Program

Music can improve mood and quality of life

Listening to music improves mood and overall quality of life. In more than two dozen independent research trials, scientists have consistently found that there is a strong link between music and positive emotions. Because of its rhythmic and repetitive aspects, music engages the neocortex of our brain, which calms us and reduces impulsivity. We often utilize music to match or alter our mood. While there are benefits to matching music to our mood, it can potentially keep us stuck in a depressive, angry or anxious state.

Umoona Tjutagku Health Service Drug and Alcohol Centre Sports and Physical activities coordinator was able to conduct music programs at the DAS activities room for the talented, music loving Aboriginal men and had had reasonable positive feedback from the participants.

Men’s Bush Trip

Local Aboriginal men love going to the bush and camping as they love the nature the most. Understanding the connection between the nature and the Aboriginal people, UTHS management helped the DAS team to bring some aboriginal people to the bush (Ingomar) and camp there for a night and come back to Coober Pedy. They were able to discuss about Drug and Alcohol issues, coming out of Drug and Alcohol mis behaviours, Social and Emotional Wellbeing issues, Mental health issues etc. and took some beautiful photos with the help of a professional photographer (David Laslett). The team is planning to more bush trips during the upcoming year.

Sports & Physical Activities Coordinator

Thilina Rathnamalala

Organisational Chart UTHSAC Staff Academic Qualifications

Administration Staff

•

Grad Cert in Public Accounting (Current)

• Advanced Diploma: Management

Priscilla

Graduate

Certificate in Finance

• PRINCE 11 Practitioner (Diploma Equivalent): Project Management

Ahmed Bilal

Communicare

Academic Qualifications

Remote

Management

Grad certificate

(Diabetes Management

Nursing

Management Systems

Business Administration

Arts

• Diploma of Practice Management

Academic

Relations

Rights and International Law)

Grad Cert.

Resources Management

• Diploma of Human Resources Management

• Diploma of Business (Governance)

• Lead Auditor: ISO

& ISO

• Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)

Diploma in Accounting

Finance

Diploma of Leadership and Management

Bachelor of Computer Engineering

• Master of Network Systems (CyberSecurity)

Microsoft Certifications (MS500, MS-900, AZ-900), ITIL v4 and CCNA.

IT Systems & Communicare Officer / Finance & Payroll Officer

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Business

Dhananjani Bandara Finance Officer

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Business Administration Degree (Specialized in Accounting).

Clinic Staff

Clinic Manager

Josie Warrior

Healthy for life Coordinator

–Enrolled Nurse

Petrea Mueller Registered Nurse

Academic Qualifications

• Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing)

Academic Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Nursing

Academic Qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• Certified Business Accountant, Sri Lanka.

• Certificate in MYOB, XERO, QuickBooks, and Sage accounting system.

• Certificate in Test and Tagging. Sumeda Sampath Cleaner

• Post graduate certificate Diabetes Management and Education

• Certificate II in Hospitality

• MBBS [ Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery]

• Bachelor of Nursing (Current)

• Bachelor of Physics

• Master of Business Administration

• Master of Science in Medical Surgical Nursing

• Certificate IV in Aboriginal Primary Health Care

• Post graduate diploma in Clinical Cosmetology

• Diploma in Practice Management

• Post Graduate Certificate Mental Health Nursing

• Postgraduate Certificate in Remote Health Management

• Certificate IV in TAE

• Certificate IV in Aged Care

• Certificate IV in Home and Community Care

• Diploma of Management

• Post graduate diploma on Pediatric Nutrition by Boston University school of medicine

• Diploma of Nursing

• Graduate Cert in Child and Family Health

• Bachelor of Nursing Stefani Cirillo Registered Nurse

Academic Qualifications

• Diploma of early Childhood Education Care and leadership management

• Diploma in Pre SchoolTeacher Training

• Advance Diploma of Community Sector Management

• Bachelor of Nursing

52 53 • Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Nicole Perera

Tanil Dehigaspitiya Facilities Officer

Arlene Ackland

Shobhavie Kohombange Practice Manager

Laura Larkins Assistant Practice Manager

Lamis Gomes Zara

Jing Nie Registered Nurse

Vindya Perera Medical Receptionist

Therasa Joseph Registered Nurse

Chamodi Jayasinghe

Assistant Medical Receptionist

Academic Qualifications

• Master of Technology (Enterprise Systems and Business Analytics)

• Diploma of Business

• Professional Qualification in Human Resource Management

Damien Riessen Health Promotions Officer

Academic Qualifications

• Certificate III in Business Administration

Iroshan Arangala

Transport Officer

Academic Qualifications

• Diploma of Community Services (Case Management)

Peter Tsakiridis

Trainee Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

Cynthia Dodd

Female Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

Misho Miller

Trainee Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

Drug & Alcohol Services Staff

Jonte Larkins

Trainee Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

Joanne Williams

Female Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

Elaine O’Toole

Aboriginal Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

Academic Qualifications

• Alcohol & Other Drugs.

• Governance

• Leadership & Management

• Legal Studies / AOD (Current)

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor in Ayurveda Medicine and Surgery

• Diploma of community Services specialising in Case Management

• Certificate IV in Mental Health (Currently studying)

• Certificate III in aged care and Disability

Academic Qualifications

• Certificate III ATSI

Primary Health Care

• Certificate IV ATSI

Primary Health Care (Currently Studying)

• Certificate IV in counselling

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelors of Ayurveda

Medicine & Surgery

• Masters of Social work, Graduate entry (Flinders University)

• Cert 4 in Mental Health

• Diploma of Counselling (Currently Enrolled)

Academic Qualifications

• Master of Social Work

• bio tech bachelor

• Cert IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs

Thilina Rathnamalala Program Coordinator

Robert Hele Senior Aboriginal Health Worker

Koshani Yatawara –SEWB Officer

Padmini Rana AOD Officer

Precella Sumner Aboriginal Health Worker Academic Qualifications

Patrick Larkins DAS Manager

Chathuri Aberathna

AOD Officer

Academic Qualifications

• Master of Social Worker

• Diploma of Counselling-AIBN

• Cert IV in Alcohol & Other Drugs

Gnanika Chandrasena

AOD Officer

Academic Qualifications

• Master of Social Work (UNISA)

• Bachelor of Nursing Science with Honours

• Diploma in Nursing

Darryl Braund Substance Misuse Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Disability Work Cert. IV

• Pastoral Care Cert. IV

• Mental Health Cert. IV

Leel Hasitha Program Coordinator

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor of BA.

• Masters of IT.

Michael Liptsey

After Hours Mental Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

• Cert 4 in primary health

• Cert 3 community services

Takdir Singh

After Hours Mental Health Worker

Academic Qualifications

• Masters of Social Work

UTHSAC Previous Staff

Jayden Muller Admin Support Officer

Aiden Ackland

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Commerce

• Diploma of Business

Academic Qualifications

• Cert 3 in primary health

Carmel Agrazada Clinic Team Leader Chintha Sinhapura Asst. Medical Receptionist

56 57 Trainee Health Worker

Donna Bailes Senior Aboriginal Health Worker

Gayan Iundil Facilities Officer

Jasmeet Kaur Registered Nurse

Navgeet Singh After Hours Mental Health

Nileeka Samanweera AOD Worker

Pathum Ranaweera Sports and Physical Activities Coordinator

Phyllis Lindsay SEWB-BTH Worker

Prasamsa Aryal Finance Officer

Garry Warren Aboriginal Health Worker

Virajeni Yatawara Registered Nurse

Weida Liu Registered Nurse