VACCHO is the peak body that represents the collective of 25 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) in Victoria. It is the channel for communities to direct Aboriginal health policies, and to coordinate statewide opinion and direction on Aboriginal health issues that affect all the member communities. VACCHO supports works that are locally planned and initiated on their members' behalf, as requested.
VACCHO aims to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people through:
- Working on their membership's behalf to help develop and implement a planned and practical approach to improving Aboriginal health services.
- Working with the State and Federal Governments to ensure increased allocation of resources and a coordinated approach to the funding and delivery of health services through establishing a basic health infrastructure for Aboriginal people.
- Increasing the knowledge and skill level of those involved in community controlled health organisations.
The implementation of a community controlled and holistic model of health service provision is essential to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people.
VACCHO is continuously working towards the goal of each Aboriginal community having its own community based, locally owned, culturally appropriate and adequately resourced primary health care facility.
The RWAV Board considers Aboriginal health as a high priority due to the comparatively poor state of Aboriginal people's health and as Aboriginal people use rural health services including GP services. RWAV therefore sought to develop a collaborative working relationship with VACCHO and its members. The principles of this relationship are as follows:
- Recognition that Aboriginal people must determine their own health priorities and are the experts in the delivery of health services to Aboriginal people.
- Common agenda: VACCHO and RWAV share the goal of building up a skilled workforce in Aboriginal health in Victoria. RWAV sees its role as a mainstream organisation to take direction from VACCHO membership and "value add" with support, skills, contacts and funding were it is appropriate to do so.
- All workforce issue programs in Aboriginal health are developed along processes that respect Aboriginal community protocols and strengthen the communities' capacity to determine and manage their own health agendas.
These basic principles have many implications for project planning, research processes and ethics.
For more information visit the VACCHO website by clicking here
|
