Supporting Refugee Patients in Western Sydney
In Western Sydney, over half of the region’s population was born outside of Australia, a statistic significantly higher than the state average[1]. In a community marked by diversity, it’s crucial to acknowledge the journey and challenges that people from refugee backgrounds and asylum seekers face, particularly in finding the right health care for them and […]
AOD Services for People from Multicultural Backgrounds
People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) or refugee backgrounds can be more vulnerable to alcohol and other drug (AOD) use due to a history of torture, trauma, grief and loss. This can also be exacerbated by family stressors, unemployment, language barriers, and lack of awareness of culturally appropriate services available[1]. AOD Multicultural Programs We […]
Encouraging Childhood Immunisation in Western Sydney and CALD Communities
Our annual Immunisation Bike Competition has officially started. This year, WentWest is celebrating eleven years of running the Immunisation Bike Competition in Western Sydney. Since the annual competition was developed in 2011, there have been 16,422 children immunised through the competition. How Practices Can Get Involved Every child who receives their 12-month, 18-month or four-year-old […]
Preventing and Managing Chronic Health Conditions in CALD Communities
Chronic conditions are an ongoing cause of substantial ill health, disability and premature death, making them an important health concern that often requires long-term management by individuals and health professionals. The Western Sydney population has a higher prevalence of health risk factors than the Metropolitan Sydney population, including smoking, physical inactivity and obesity. These […]
WentWest Stories, STARTTS: Aidah’s Story
The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) is a non-profit organisation providing culturally appropriate psychological treatment, support and community interventions. WentWest has commissioned STARTTS since 2015 to implement culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) mental health literacy and suicide prevention programs for refugees, asylum seekers and other diverse […]
WentWest Stories, STARTTS: Atur’s Story
The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) is a non-profit organisation supporting refugees, migrants and culturally and linguistically diverse. WentWest has commissioned STARTTS since 2015 to implement culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) mental health literacy and suicide prevention programs for refugees, asylum seekers and other diverse communities […]
Communicating COVID-19 to CALD Communities
Half of Western Sydney’s population was born outside of Australia, and 54% of households speak a language other than English at home. The diversity of our community is something we celebrate as a region, and we can be proud of the steps that we have taken in the primary care sector to build accessible, culturally appropriate health services. Now, as we face the […]