Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Program

If you’re living with HIV and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and you need support, please call Michelle Tobin, the Positive Life NSW Aboriginal Health Program Officer on (02) 8357 8386, 1800 245 677 (freecall) or email contact@positivelife.org.au

The Positive Life NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Living with HIV Health Co-Design project is a needs assessment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) community of NSW. It aims to co-design a culturally sensitive program/service model which achieves higher health and social determinants of health outcomes for Indigenous people in NSW, including those living with HIV and those at risk of acquiring HIV.

Project Progress:

So far, the interviews component of this Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Living with HIV Health Co-Design project has closed and writing of the report is underway by an Aboriginal consultant.

The project has a nine-member advisory group made up of people from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in NSW, four of whom live with HIV to provide guidance and advice during each stage of the project. An ethics application has been sought from the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council (AH&MRC) to support our culturally safe interviews for the purposes of co-designing the program with people who will be directly affected by the proposed implementation of the program.

A local Aboriginal artist has been commissioned, to paint an artwork which is used on all Aboriginal Health Program correspondence and promotional collateral. An Interview Guide has been developed and approved by Advisory Group, along with a recruitment poster and postcard which has been distributed to over 49 Aboriginal Medical Services (AMSs) and over 100 s100 prescribers across NSW. A literature review regarding HIV amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to support and inform Aboriginal-focused health service delivery and evaluation has been completed.