News

MDAS welcomes funding for key programs

Fri, 13 Mar 2015 10:28:00

The Mallee’s peak Indigenous body has welcomed confirmation of funding for key programs aimed at improving life expectancy and health outcomes for the Mallee’s Koori community.

Mallee District Aboriginal Services has been advised it will be funded for major aspects of its programs in Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang in the Abbott Government’s $1.4 billion investment in primary and preventable health care.
The Indigenous Advancement Strategy funding will provide $4.3million over the next three years to MDAS services focussing on employment, early years, suicide prevention, social and emotional wellbeing, offender rehabilitation and the strengthening of cultural ties.
MDAS CEO Rudolph Kirby welcomed the funding and said although there had been improvement in some measures of health and wellbeing in the Mallee’s Koori community, there was more work to be done.
“This is a great step forward for MDAS in that it provides the reassurance we were looking for that the Abbott Government is committed to closing the gap for Koori people and to get Aboriginal people into work in the Mallee,” Mr Kirby said.
“As an organisation, we are relieved this provides a great measure of security around many of our most important programs, and I’m grateful for the support of local member Andrew Broad in bringing about this result.”
Mr Kirby said it was clear the work MDAS was doing was making a positive contribution to the wellbeing of Koori families in the Mallee.
“For example, in 2014 alone, we had 544 new clients registered with our health services in Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang – for each one of those people, we take the opportunity to encourage them to engage with our services to support them making positive changes in lifestyle,” Mr Kirby said.
MDAS provides a range of culturally appropriate health programs by multi-disciplinary teams involving nurses, Aboriginal Health Workers and allied health providers as well as General Practitioners.
Mr Kirby said he looked forward to continuing to work with both the Federal and State Government in securing funding for other programs which did not yet have funding secured beyond the end of the financial year.  These include QUIT, Healthy for Life and Chronic Disease programs.
Mr Kirby said there were1825 clients registered and regularly attending Healthy for Life, QUIT, boot camps, Elders health groups, gym and walking groups run by MDAS last year.
“These programs are aimed squarely at driving long-term lifestyle changes and to sustain the progress on closing the gap - it’s critical that they continue,” he said.
“We are having positive dialogue on securing funding for the programs, and we will continue talking to Government about the needs in that area,” Mr Kirby said.