WentWest Commissioning and Marketing and Communications staff with members of Western Sydney Integrated Team Care.
Western Sydney Integrated Team Care (WSITC) improves health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic health conditions through access to care coordination, multidisciplinary care and self-management support. It improves access to culturally appropriate, mainstream primary care services, including general practice, allied health and specialists. The team also provides cultural awareness training to medical professionals.
Celebrating New Premises at Kimberwalli
Earlier this year, WSITC re-located to new premises at Kimberwalli in Whalan and the WentWest Commissiong and Marketing and Communications Teams were honoured to be invited to tour the new site and hear more about how the new location offers improved accessibility for both their clients and their team.
Opened in 2015, as a transformation of Whalan High School into an Aboriginal Centre for Excellence, the site was renamed Kimberwalli in 2018 which means ‘many stars’ in Darug language. With its vision of delivering quality lifelong learning and cultural wellbeing services, Kimberwalli is a perfect fit for the new home of Western Sydney ITC.
The Kimberwalli community has warmly embraced the team, and WSITC are excited to contribute by delivering culturally sensitive health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic health conditions.
Spotlight: Yarning About Cardiovascular Health with a Medical Student
Vibs, a third-year medical student at Macquarie University, recently spent a week with WSITC on a student placement and describes the experience as “one of the most eye-opening experiences in my clinical adventures so far.”
It was a steep learning curve from day one for Vibs, attending home visits with the team.
“There is a stark difference between tending to a patient that has presented to your clinic and tending to a patient in their home environment. An individual’s living condition can shed considerable light on their overall wellbeing through a psychosocial-economic lens, and witnessing this first-hand during home visits invoked the need for holistic care.”
Vibs was invited to a yarn to talk about the importance of cardiovascular health with Aunt Louise, Kim and Kelly from WSITC. Despite being sceptical at first about how receptive this crowd would be to ideas around health protective behaviours, especially from a non-Indigenous individual, they were the most welcoming, inquisitive and responsive group, actively listening and asking questions.
“We talked in colloquial terms about being “gunners vs doers” when it comes to our health, and by the end of the day, many that were on the fence were equipped with the courage to leap into ‘doer’ territory. We also measured blood pressure, took blood glucose levels and measured BMIs. I often look back at this day and can vividly recall the good energy in the room – we were able to empower these men, and to some extent, rebuild a sense of medical trust.”
Wholesome patient-centred care is at the heart of WSITC’s mission, and it was inspiring to see it in action – the organisation is truly a beacon of hope and support for our fellow Aboriginal Australians, who are arguably one of the most vulnerable groups in the community.
“I am ever grateful for the opportunity to advocate for the health of First Nations Australians. WSITC has truly enriched my perspectives on Aboriginal health. I encourage budding physicians to reach out to the team and enquire about the incredible impact they are creating in Western Sydney…they have left their mark on me!”
If you have any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander patients with chronic health conditions that would benefit from a holistic care approach, or are looking for cultural awareness training and resources, please reach out to WSITC on (02) 8080 0522 or via their referral forms.
Information correct as of 19 October 2023.