Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia Inc. : CEO Communique Issue 3

Welcome

Mary Buckskin, CEO for AHCSA

I can’t believe how quickly this year is going. We continue to be very busy at AHCSA and some days there just aren’t enough hours in the day!

There have been a few staff changes, the most significant being that we now have a Deputy CEO. Mr Richard Nelson joined us on 10 June. Richard comes with a strong background in education and training as well as strategic planning and experience working with Aboriginal communities. Many of you may remember Richard when he worked with us on the Board and Governance Training Program. We all look forward to working with Richard again.

Ms Ann Newchurch has recently been appointed as the Workforce Issues Project Officer following the resignation of Mrs Janine Engelhardt. Janine has moved to Canberra to continue working with NACCHO. We all wish Janine and her family well with their move.

Ms Carmen Dadleh has joined us on a short term contract as the GPET Project Officer. Carmen is on ‘loan’ from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital while we wait the outcome of the GPET Review.

Mrs Ngara Keeler has commenced maternity leave for 12 months and Ms Ruth Miller has joined us short term while we finalise the contract with the Department of Health & Ageing. We would also like to extend our congratulations to Ngara, Sonny and Nathaniel as they welcome their new son and brother, Sean Elliot Kingsley, weighing in at 2830grams on 17 June.

Ms Luita Casey has recently resigned as Manager of the CCRE to take up PhD studies. As the CCRE program is funded to December 2008 we will not fill this position.

I hope you enjoy CEO Communiqué. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact Mandy Green or Angela Francisco on (08) 8132 6700, mandy.green@ahcsa.org.au or franciscoa@ahcsa.org.au

Kind Regards

Mary Buckskin
Chief Executive Officer

New Health Bill

Continuing with the reform of the state’s health system as recommended by the General Health Review, the new Health Bill came into effect on 1 July.

AHCSA is very pleased with the appointment of Mr John Singer, AHCSA Chairperson and Director Nganampa Health Council to the Health Performance Council. The main role of the HPC will be to monitor the state’s health system and so this is a very important appointment. John will be a great advocate and representative for the Aboriginal community of South Australia.

Ngankarri Services

AHCSA recently worked with Nganampa Health Council to coordinate the visit of Ngankarris to Adelaide. The Ngankarris visited the major hospitals and were available for consultations with inpatients.

This was the third visit to Adelaide by the Ngankarris in the last 18 months. Nganampa Health Council, AHCSA and the Aboriginal Health Division (AHD) all sponsored this trip which enabled the Ngankarris to meet the increasing demand for their services in Adelaide. We will be working with AHD and the regional health services to secure assistance and resources to make this service ongoing.

Nganampa Health Council Celebrations

Nganampa will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year. AHCSA acknowledges this milestone and extends our congratulations. To coincide with the celebrations, AHCSA will hold its September Board meeting in Umuwa. We look forward to reporting on the celebrations.

Public Health and IT Workshop

AHCSA members will be invited to attend a Public Health and IT workshop on 24 & 25 July in Port Augusta at the Standpipe Golf Motor Inn. A number of key speakers have been invited to discuss public health issues, information technology and information management issues. For more information, or a copy of the draft workshop agenda contact Dr David Scrimgeour, Ben Stewart or Ian Thurnwald on 08 8132 6700.

AHCSA will be moving...

I take this opportunity to inform all readers that AHCSA will be on the move in the near future. At this stage, a new location hasn’t been identified, but our deadline is quickly drawing closer. AHCSA has outgrown its current building which has resulted in us delaying the advertising and appointment of some positions. This move will create another chapter in the life of AHCSA and we are all looking forward to yet another change. More information will be provided as soon as a suitable new building is identified. Watch this space...

AHCSA News

The next newsletter is due out early August. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to receive a copy, please contact Amanda Mitchell on (08) 8132 6700 or amanda.mitchell@ahcsa.org.au

AHCSA as a Training Organisation...

AHCSA has recently appointed four positions as Cadetships under the state government’s Community Cadetships Program. Three members of staff will study the Certificate 3 in Business Administration and one member of staff will study the Certificate 3 in Financial Services.

Recently, AHCSA’s Finance Officer completed studies in the Diploma of Accounting and has enrolled in the Advanced Diploma of Accounting. The Business Manager also completed studies in the Advanced Diploma in Community Services Management.

In addition, AHCSA has a school-based trainee from the Woodville High School who will be working with us one day per week until the end of this year.

The Education & Training Team have also been working intensively to support 13 students to complete Certificate 4 in Training and Assessment, and together with the CCRE, have been supporting 12 students studying Certificate 4 in Indigenous Research Capacity Building.

Disclaimer
CEO Communiqué is copyright to the Aboriginal Health Council of SA Inc. (AHCSA). No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the Chief Executive Officer of AHCSA. Whilst every care is taken to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is accurate, errors and omissions may occur. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, we apologise for any inconvenience caused and ask that you click the unsubscribe link below.

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