Cabarita Health Clinic

The Community we Service

Forster Local Aboriginal Land Council covers a geographical area from the Pacific Ocean in the East to the Central Highlands beyond Gloucester in the West, from Seal Rocks in the South to Hallidays Point in the North. Approximately 600 Indigenous people live within these boundaries with the majority of the population residing in the Forster/Tuncurry area (422 people - ABS 1996 Census).

The staff of the Cabarita Clinic and the Management of the FLALC shares a common philosophy of health care requiring a holistic approach. In practical terms this means that we believe that health standards cannot be improved with any longstanding benefits, without the necessary infrastructure in place to provide a healthy environment and community in which to live.

The FLALC has worked hand in hand with the Cabarita Clinic to address health issues.

The introduction of the medical services and the CDEP to the Cabarita community has resulted in increased standards of health, housing, education, employment and overall an increased standard of living.

The success of the Cabarita Clinic has mainly been attributed to:

• Service provision being offered in a culturally sensitive fashion
• Staffed by local people with local knowledge
• The commitment of the Cabarita Clinic staff the core of which has remained constant in recent years and built up trust and confidence with the community
• The ability of staff to develop and implement cost effective and nil cost health programs when access to funds and programs have not been available
• Analysing and planning for community needs
• Local community consultation in planning process
• Services designed to meet the specific needs of the local community
• Personalised services from Aboriginal clinic workers

Dr Margaret Gibbons is the General Practitioner in the Clinic. She has built up an exceptional level of communication and trust with patients over the 10 years she has been with the clinic.

Steve Nye is an Extended Role Enrolled Nurse/Audiometrist. He is well accepted in the community and works with Dr Gibbons as a very enthusiastic and committed team. He has worked with Dr Gibbons in the Clinic for 8 years.

Three Aboriginal Clinic Workers are supplied to the Clinic by Forster LALC funded by the ATSIC CDEP program and DEWRSB Employment Strategy. The workers currently work on a roster to cover all opening hours for the Clinic. Clinic workers undertake accredited training to develop skills and gain the appropriate qualifications.

The Clinic is provided by a joint venture between FLALC and Biripi AMS. Biripi currently supplies wages for the doctor and nurse, use of a vehicle, clinic equipment, clinic supplies and some administrative support. FLALC provides the accommodation, maintenance, power, the remainder of the administrative support, use of vehicles, the two Aboriginal clinic workers, some capital items and clinic supplies.

The clinic was run irregularly for many years, but the Cabarita community demanded a more regular service and in 1994 the Clinic began to operate 3 half-days per week. Staff has now increased to a doctor working four days per week, a clinic nurse working five days per week and two part time Aboriginal clinic workers covering all hours of operation.

The clinic aims to provide high-quality health care for the Koori people of the area in the following ways:

• addressing specific clinical needs;
• ensuring equality of access for Koori people to community health service;
• engaging in preventative screening programs particularly as outlined in the "NSW Goals for Aboriginal Health";
• addressing broad-based health needs, recognising that health involves economic, social and cultural factors, as well as medical ones;
• being available to coordinate services in the interests of one group of patients eg working with schools, youth services;
• being ready to advocate on behalf of Koori health issues; and
• working in partnership with the Mid North Coast Area Health Service

These staff provide a broad range of clinical services including:

• GP consultations
• ECGs
• spirometry
• diabetes testing
• pathology collection
• simple physiotherapy (ultrasound, massage, TENS and mobilisation)
• HIV Prescribing
• methadone prescribing
• STD screening and treatment/contact tracing
• cryotherapy
• plastering
• simple surgery

Specific screening/preventative areas being addressed at present are:

• immunisation
• pap smears
• mammography
• antenatal
• diabetes
• cardiovascular
• disease
• ear health for children
• eye health
• sunscreen
• domestic violence
• sexual health
• mental health

The results of clinical audits of some of these areas are presented later in the portfolio. The results clearly show that Aboriginal people can respond in high numbers to programs that are conducted in a culturally sensitive fashion.

Liaison with local schools, Juvenile Justice, Courts, Juvenile Detention Centres, Jails and Department of Community Services is also a priority for clinic staff.

A working partnership currently exists with Mid North Coast Area Health Service particularly in the areas of ear health, sexual health, mental health, antenatal classes and diabetes care.

Dr Rommy Newman (Specialist Physician), Ivy Semple (Diabetes Educator) and John Jones (Diabetes Nutritionist) conduct community workshops in areas such as diabetes, heart disease prevention and hepatitis C and have been received in a popular way.

An outreach service is provided to the Gloucester community. 50 Koori people use the fortnightly GP service and have access to all specific screening and preventative health services. Planning to address the needs of this community is undertaken on an ongoing basis.

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Last updated 25 Nov 2003