Last month a number of local healthcare workers graduated with new qualifications through a study partnership with VACCHO, including William Walker (Yoowinna Wurnalung) and Adrian Morgan (BRHS), Leteisha Bryant, Kayla Harrison and Samantha Johnstone (GEGAC) and Anika Sten (LEAHA).
GEGAC continues to grow the workforce of trained and skilled local Aboriginal healthcare professionals.
Last month three more GEGAC staff completed the Certificate IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice – Samantha Johnstone, Leteisha Bryant and Kayla Harrison.
Sam, Leteisha and Kayla are now fully qualified Aboriginal Health Practitioners, able to provide a range of health services to community including health assessments and screenings, checking blood sugar levels and blood pressure, supporting clients with their treatment plans and rehabilitation, and helping community members navigate the health system outside GEGAC.
They now join Michelle and Linda Pearce as qualified Aboriginal Health Practitioners in GEGAC’s recently formed Aboriginal Health Team.
That’s top quality, culturally-informed healthcare, by local Aboriginal people, for local Aboriginal people.
The new GEGAC graduates were part of a larger group of Aboriginal healthcare workers in East Gippsland – which included staff from our partner organisations Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Yoowinna Wurnalung and Lakes Entrance Aboriginal Health Association – who undertook the 15-month course by a mixture of online and in-person study through the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO).
VACCHO would send a teacher up to Bairnsdale for regular in-person classes, students would also travel down to Melbourne for classes, with the rest of the course made up of online classes and 800 work placement hours.
Aboriginal Health Practitioner Team Leader Michelle Pearce said GEGAC was at the start of a promising new era for the organisation.
“To see these young Aboriginal people get their qualifications, to build their skills and experience, it’s a very proud moment for this community,” she said. “Not only does it mean that we have more Aboriginal people providing frontline healthcare here at GEGAC, it also means we’re doing the groundwork to have more Aboriginal people knocking on the door for leadership positions later on. That’s where we want to be headed.”
GEGAC CEO Kenton Winsley said our Aboriginal Health Practitioners played a critical role for community.
“Aboriginal Health Practitioners embody the powerful intersection of traditional and modern medicine, skillfully blending cultural wisdom with clinical expertise,” he said. “Their commitment to providing care that is both meaningful and empowering transforms communities. GEGAC takes immense pride in our health practitioner team, which continues to thrive and reach new heights.”
And the future looks brighter still.
In 2025, we’ll have five more young trainees starting the Aboriginal Health Practitioner course.
Stay tuned.