Flinders NT is excited to announce that three staff members from Alice Springs were recently recognised at Bond University’s Sustainability of Healthcare Awards.

Kathleen Martin, an Arrernte woman and Lecturer in Indigenous Health at the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, together with two Centre for Remote Health employees – Barbara Richards, an Anmatjere woman and Academic Lead/Lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges and Culture, and Robert Charles, an Anmatjere man and Indigenous Facilitator, were present at this prestigious event as finalists in the Educational Award – for increasing understanding in students of sustainable health.

The team of lecturers are currently delivering the Cross-Cultural Awareness Training (CCAT) program to approximately 1500 mining staff and contractors at the remote Tanami mine operated by Newmont Goldcorp Tanami Operations.  To date, 231 staff have attended the CCAT. The team will also provide mentoring and support services to identified members from the mine-affected remote Indigenous communities of Yuendumu, Nyirripi, Willowra, and Lajamanu.

Ownership of the CCAT will eventually be transferred to the local Warlpiri (Yapa) people and this business enterprise will be supported by the CRH team on an ongoing basis in a “Train the Trainer” model. It is anticipated that as a consequence of the CCAT program there will be an increased number of workers employed from the identified remote communities, resulting in health care sustainability and impacting directly on quality of life and health outcomes for these Indigenous people.

The annual Sustainability of Healthcare Awards were developed with the purpose of promoting and raising awareness of best practice in high value health care and recognising the achievements of those in the community who are advocates and pioneers in this area.