Ngak Min Health family-centred care
Ngak Min Health is an innovative family-centred clinic that provides comprehensive and culturally appropriate medical, health and wellbeing services to Djarragun College students, their families and the wider community. The burden of disease of Indigenous Australians is more than twice that of non-Indigenous Australians and the major causes for the gap differ, with mental health, cardiovascular and chronic diseases being the main contributors. The gap starts early. Of the student population who attend Ngak Min more than 16 per cent are clinically overweight; 15 per cent are regular smokers; and more than 75 per cent did not have a health check in the twelve months before their initial visit. Additionally, 10 per cent of our student cohort already has a chronic diagnosis, and four per cent have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. To Close the Gap on Indigenous Health Outcomes, it is vital to intervene early. Ngak Min seeks to improve health, wellbeing and educational outcomes for Indigenous students, by: • providing early intervention and care, including systematic screening for health and mental health • providing education, training and health promotion, including inside the classroom • building the capacity of students and their families to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing. The clinic, located on the Djarragun College grounds in Gordonvale, opened in 2019 and is Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited (AGPAL) accredited. In 2020, Ngak Min extended its services to Girl Academy students and Bama Services employees.
PATIENTS AND PATIENT VISITS
PARTICIPATION
PATIENT VISITS
291 patients attended the Ngak Min clinic between July–December. Over this period, we had 80 new patients attend the clinic.
Between July–December, there were 1,632 episodes of care provided through our Health, Wellbeing and Family Services.
PATIENT PARTICIPATION
DJARRAGUN PARTICIPATION Between July–December,
218
Djarragun College students accessed a
service at Ngak Min clinic. This represents 75% of our active patients.
EPISODES OF CARE
DJARRAGUN EPISODES OF CARE
1,265 (78%) episodes of care were provided to Djarragun College students.
HOW DOES NGAK MIN SUPPORT STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO BE HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER? Our multidisciplinary team provides a range of health, wellbeing and family services support to students, their families and the wider community. The team includes medical practitioners, psychology, and case management services, with access on site to allied health professionals, a child development specialist, a paediatrician, and a dietician. A school-based health clinic helps to reduce disparities in health outcomes, and improve the wellbeing of disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Schools are also best placed to help students develop health-seeking behaviour and positively influence attitudes, through giving control to students and families to make decisions about their health. The collaboration between Ngak Min and Djarragun College: • • • • •
improves health care access for students and their families by reducing the need for out of school hours travel; builds the capacity of students to develop health behaviour through explicit teaching and health education sessions; improves access to wellbeing and mental health services with a tiered support and case management framework; improves prevention and early intervention through systematic screening, health assessments, and immunisation; and considers context, trauma, culture and leverages on current research.
HEALTH Every student goes through a screening and assessment process to detect and intervene early. Between July–
December, 56 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Checks were conducted.1
WELLBEING
Between July–December, 27 new referrals for Psychology services were received and a total of 177 psychology sessions were provided to adults and students. The Ngak Min Djarragun Intensive Case Management Panel brings our Psychologist and Health Practitioners together with Djarragun Educators and Case Managers to discuss the needs of
specific students with complex circumstances. There were more than 100 Djarragun College students referred to the panel between July–December to receive support to maximise their recovery, health and education opportunities.
1 All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, regardless of age or location, can access a free annual health check at their local Aboriginal Medical Service or at any bulk-billing clinic under Medicare. The Health Check is also referred to as the 715 Health Check or Medicare Health Assessment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
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