This presentation will provide an overview of the WA Aboriginal Environmental Health program and its transition from a municipal type community program to one where the home has become the focus. The most influential environment that influences health status and outcomes is the home. The co-designed Model of Care takes the concept of helping people in their homes and applies a distinctly Aboriginal informed approach in the design and implementation of a primordial prevention service that supports families to prevent illnesses.
The new program in WA is already transforming towards the co-designed model and procurement is advanced.
The new program supports strong links to community-controlled primary care services and the implementation of clinic-generated environmental health referrals. Healthy homes assessments and the ability to transfer disease prevention strategies and knowledge mean that people can manage the routine exposures to infectious and contageous conditions better. The workforce currently employed in environmental health will need support and training to manage this transition.
What started with trachoma specific actions for environmental health has transformed into environmental health actions that can prevent diseases. The interest in environmental health has grown to other diseases like ARF/RHD, APSGN, Otitis media and more recently diphtheria.
Additional funding will support coordinated regional programs and health promotion so that there is a reliable and engaged workforce that will make a difference in health outcomes.