News

Media Invitation - NAIDOC celebration at Mildura Base Hospital

Jul 25, 2016

Kangaroo burgers and Johnny cakes will be on the menu at Mildura Base Hospital’s Aboriginal Health Unit community barbecue this week.

The NAIDOC Day celebration will offer hospital staff and community members the opportunity to take a look inside the new unit and meet Aboriginal Health Unit staff.

The barbecue is being held on Wednesday July 13 from 11.30 am to 2 pm, and Aboriginal Health Unit manager Steve Portelli said everyone was welcome to attend.

“We moved into the fantastic new unit earlier this year and now that we’ve settled in, the NAIDOC celebrations will be a great opportunity for people to come and get to know where we are and what we can do,” Mr Portelli said.

NAIDOC week is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their history, culture and achievements. The barbecue will offer an opportunity for hospital staff and community members to celebrate the contributions Indigenous Australians make in the Mildura region.

Mr Portelli said the growing recognition and respect for traditional culture was an important element in addressing the bigger health goals of the Aboriginal community.

“There are four staff at the unit and our primary aim is to close the unacceptable gap that currently exists between the health outcomes of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people,” Mr Portelli said.

“We can help Koori people and their families with feeling more comfortable in their interactions with Mildura Base Hospital, by doing things like liaising with referral services, advocating on behalf of patients and their families and helping with discharge plans,” he said.