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L-R: Ms Doreen Power, Dr Alex Thomas and Dr Sajeev Koshy
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Introducing a Saturday morning breakfast and dental clinic for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and their families has helped improve access to services at Plenty Valley Community Health (PVCH).
With the oral health care provided by Dr Alex Thomas from the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, the culturally appropriate program has helped improve access for patients.
The unique project - said to be the only one in Victoria - is a partnership between PVCH, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and Dental Health Services Victoria.
Ms Doreen Power, Chief Executive Officer of PVCH, said before it introduced Saturday Morning Dental, only a few Aboriginal clients were treated over a five-year period.
“After the introduction of the service the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients increased year on year,” Ms Power said.
“The program also acted as a gateway to other services at PVCH, such as the diabetes educator and the drug and alcohol counsellor.”
PVCH provides primary healthcare, social and psychological support services to people of all ages.
Its services have a strong focus on treatment, prevention, early identification, rehabilitation and maximising independent living skills.
PVCH partners with general practitioners, hospitals, government, local agencies and community members to maintain an effective universal primary healthcare system.
How it was doneThe team actively sought out Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents, particularly young mums and provided supported parenting programs actively listening to their needs. They also initiated one-off dental days where mothers brought their pre-school children to PVCH for free dental check-ups. These were promoted as yarning sessions, so that while the children were having their teeth checked while their mothers had the opportunity to ask about other health issues. An Aboriginal health worker assisted with making appointments, meeting and greeting clients and following up with those who needed ongoing treatment. Appointments were mainly for the whole family and they were given consecutive slots. To support their needs, they were usually offered longer appointment times. Transport was also provided if necessary. Prior to the new service, PVCH only saw around 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients over a five year period. Following its introduction the general trend has been for a large increase in the numbers of these clients as shown below:
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