We continually tell the same story and have done so for some time. The answers are there….. so listen!
The Chair of a peak Government agency which provides strong policy advice and evidence on ways to improve mental health and suicide prevention across the nation is urging local people to voice and share their concerns at an outreach program in Central Australia this week.
The National Mental Health Commission which is holding a series of meetings in Mparntwe Alice springs will also be providing an online portal allowing those from nearby communities to share their lived experiences. Commission Chair Professor Ngaire Brown is urging local Aboriginal people to provide their input which she says is extraordinarily important. Responding to the alarming rates of youth suicide in remote communities, Professor Brown told CAAMA that decision makers at the the pointy end need to change the way that they outsource the delivery of programs.
Professor Ngiare Brown is a proud Yuin nation woman from the South Coast of NSW is recognised as the first identified Aboriginal medical graduate from NSW. Ngiare is a highly regarded clinician and researcher. She founded Ngaoara, a not-for-profit which provides clinical outreach for Aboriginal children affected by trauma, and in 2021 established Djanaba, a clinic for children and adolescents focused on social and emotional well being. Her work is focused on incorporating a strengths-based approach to breaking inter-generational cycles of trauma and disparity. Prof Brown has made extensive contributions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, research process, bioethics, policy, translation and practice. She is dedicated to Aboriginal child and adolescent well being, and supporting communities to develop initiatives focused on cultural education, and breaking the inter-generational cycles of disparity.