Every week, a different guest tweeter takes charge of Croakey’s rotated, curated Twitter account, @WePublicHealth, to cover specific health issues or events.
Recently, Health Justice Australia CEO Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine took the reins. In an opening video, which attracted more than 800 views, she outlined the role of more than 70 Health Justice partnerships that are now underway across Australia, bringing legal help into health care teams and settings to tackle the legal and social problems that affect health.
“Now more than ever it is vital we build collaborations across service silos so health, legal and other services can address the multiple intersecting problems in people’s lives, and their impact on poor health,” she said.
Boyd-Caine said health justice is a critical issue in prisons, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic which has prompted repeated calls from criminal justice experts for “drastic and unprecedented measures” to avert a COVID-19 outbreak in Australian prisons and youth detention centres, with Indigenous prisoners “a top priority” for release.
Below is a snapshot of her tweets which focused, each day, on a different health justice issue.
Family Violence
Health Justice partnership did not start out as an initiative responding to family violence specifically, but bringing legal help into healthcare settings is providing health services with the support they need to identify and respond appropriately to it.
Our Joining the dots: 2018 census of the Australian health justice landscape report showed that more than 90 per cent of Health Justice partnerships in Australia are responding to family violence issues.
Now lets look at what we can do about it! Here are just some of the many Health Justice partnership approaches to improving how healthcare identifies and respond to domestic and family violence, in western Sydney.
Links:
- Experts warn that COVID-19 impacts on domestic violence just beginning
- Mums with an intellectual disability already risk family violence and losing their kids. Coronavirus could make things worse
- How do we keep family violence perpetrators ‘in view’ during the COVID-19 lockdown?
- Prioritising women’s safety in Australian perpetrator interventions: The purpose and practices of partner contact
Mental health
Our latest Health Justice partnership report indicated that >80% were responding to mental health issues.
Financial problems are a major source of stress & anxiety for anyone & can be much worse for those living with mental illness. If you or someone you know needs advice about Centrelink, debt or housing, community legal centres and Legal Aid are still operating.
Before COVID-19, around 1.7 million households took out a payday loan. During this crisis, money problems like debt or reduced income will be on the rise. Advice from @natdebthelpline financial counsellors is free and available. Call 1800 007 007 for help.
Financial support for young people impacted by COVID-19, including advice on accessing Centrelink, can be found on the headspace website.
Complex problems need multi-faceted solutions! Health Justice Australia submissions to the Productivity Commission and Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recommended collaborative health care and legal service models for better mental health.
Sane Australia Help Centre is running ‘business as usual’ & is staffed by counsellors who’ll provide you with phone and online counselling, support and info.
And here’s a go-to list if you or someone you know is struggling and needs help:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
QLife on 1800 184 527
Links:
- Australians are living in ‘pressure cookers’, but seeking less help for mental health
- Calls to free legal services spike during pandemic
First Nations
Today we’re profiling the incredible leadership of our First Nations in connecting health, legal and social services to community needs.
Informed by Aboriginal community organisations working in Health Justice partnerships, Health Justice Australia made this submission to the Implementation Plan for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013-2023.
20% of Health Justice partnerships in Australia are in Aboriginal health or community support settings, reflecting the leadership of Aboriginal community controlled organisations in comprehensive primary care and health equity.
(Click here to see the interview with NACCHO chair Donella Mills and Tessa Boyd-Caine at #HealthJustice2019 on advocating for Indigenous communities and the value of Health Justice partnership.)
See other great examples of Indigenous-led Health Justice partnerships from last year’s first #IndigenousHealthJusticeConference2019 at amsant.org.au/indigenous-hea
Links:
- Urgent action from Australian Governments needed to prevent COVID-19 Black deaths in custody.
- Coronavirus was a reason Chantelle walked out of prison on bail
Disability
Did you know that people with disability have the highest level of unmet legal need in Australia? These include everyday problems like housing, income adequacy, credit & debt; but also high rates of violence and discrimination. All core #HealthJustice #PublicHealth issues.
The Australian Health Department has implemented a new plan to protect people with disability in the coronavirus pandemic. (see it here and an Easy Read version: https://bit.ly/2YhZMtV).
@drgeorgethecrip explains why implementation of the plan is urgently needed.
Increase in the use of restrictive practices due to public health measures – this is dire reading from the UK re psychosocial disability!
Links
- Is our health system looking after Indigenous people with disability?
- ‘Discriminated against’: Disability pensioners fight for COVID-19 supplement
- Australians with disabilities want more government support during COVID-19 pandemic
- People living with disabilities & carers explain why they need more financial support during theCOVID-19 pandemic
