Media Releases

Four local Aboriginal Health Workers (AHW) are the latest graduates of a program which teaches them how to administer vaccinations to children. The four health workers graduated last week after taking part in the two week course at the Aboriginal Health Council of WA (AHCWA) in Highgate. Two of the course participants work at the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service in Perth, while one works at Nidjalla Waangan Mia, which delivers services in the Peel region. AHCWA launched the tr

The Aboriginal Health Council of WA has welcomed a State Government commitment to fund suicide prevention training in the Kimberley as a step in the right direction. The government today announced $145,000 would be provided to organisations in the Kimberley to conduct suicide prevention training, with $93,000 of this allocated to train Aboriginal people. AHCWA Chairperson Michelle Nelson-Cox said the funding was a good first step. “Our member services have told us that they f

The Aboriginal Health Council of WA said the lack of specific Aboriginal youth mental health and suicide prevention programs was contributing to the high suicide rate among young Aboriginal people in WA. A survey of AHCWA’s member services around the state found the vast majority said they were concerned by the absence of programs in their community tailored specifically to Aboriginal young people. This was despite ABS statistics, which showed that the rate of suicide among A