This page records the details of the weekly Croakey e-bulletin (subscribe here), and some of the wider impacts of our work. See our readership figures here.
See our comprehensive list of Twitter lists to follow for news on Indigenous health, climate and health, COVID, public health and more.
2022
20 January, 2022: From Tonga, the force of a massive volcanic explosion sent ripples around the world. Now the people of Tonga hope that relief efforts do not bring COVID to their islands.
Meanwhile, the ripple effects of the pandemic will be felt for decades and possibly generations to come. Our bulletin this week leads with a personal story by Marie McInerney about how her mother is suffering due to the cancellation of ‘elective’ surgery. The family has no time for political speak about “pushing through”.
Professor Raina MacIntyre details a litany of failures in pandemic management, and calls for leaders with “ambition to do the best we can, moral courage and a shared vision of what we want as a society”.
The importance of ensuring free, equitable access to Rapid Antigen Tests features across a number of articles this week.
We also report on an outpouring of support and appreciation for epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, after she announced on Twitter that she had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Add this to your list of shocking marketing stories: a football club advertised recently for the position of Hungry Jack’s Community Engagement Officer/Manager.
And don’t miss Professor Bronwyn Carlson’s essay on how Indigenous knowledges have much to contribute to efforts to reform and re-imagine the digital worlds where so many people spend so much time, and which can be so damaging. Imagine a global communications network based on Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being, and on social justice and equity.
On 18 January, this Twitter thread summarised the Reuters Institute’s latest report, ‘Journalism, Media, and
Technology Trends and Predictions 2022′ – looking for findings that may be of interest/use to the health sector.
13 January, 2022: Just before Christmas, we published an article that began: “The summer holiday shutdown; the rapid spread of the Omicron variant; the dangerous political decision making (looking at you NSW Premier Dominic Perottet, in particular); the fatigue of the health workforce and staffing shortages; the vulnerability of many Australians, including children, who are not vaccinated at all, never mind with a third dose; the unclear and confusing messaging to the general public at a time of increased socialising. These are just some of the challenges we face at this critical time for pandemic control.”
Less than a month later, we can see the impact of this unfortunate combination of circumstances in unprecedented stress on health and aged care systems and workforces across all sectors, and the collapse of supply chains, amid soaring case numbers. As health experts have argued for so long, failing to protect the community’s health is bad for the economy too.
This week, we report wide-ranging concerns about pandemic management, including a call from the OzSAGE group for the preparation and release of a disaster plan before conditions deteriorate even more.
We also cover the latest news on climate change, and why we need a public health approach to hearing. And don’t miss the poetic reflection from Professor Megan Williams on the Gardens of Stone, on Wiradjuri Country in NSW.
This article on the climate crisis and the WEF report was also shared by Maelor Himbury’s email list on 17 January 2022. 
Twitter impact
This tweet shared by Alison Barrett on 12 January had intense engagement, receiving 3,682 interactions within two days. (Also see this related thread).
Croakey began the year with a massive Twitter thread to update followers on key events over the summer break.
2021
We record our social media analytics using Buffer. The figures below are for total impressions across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
July – December 2021: 9,347,347 impressions
In 2021, members of Croakey Health Media contributed chapters to two books. (You can order copies here and here).
The weekly Croakey news bulletin
23 December, 2021: For decades, harmful industries have used the mantra of “personal responsibility” to ward off regulations and other interventions to benefit public health. Think tobacco, alcohol, junk foods, fossil fuels and gambling, to name just a few.
As the Prime Minister and NSW Premier stress the importance of “self-regulation” and “personal responsibility” in managing COVID at such a critical time in the pandemic, it is timely that our bulletin this week has a strong focus on the commercial determinants of health.
At the recent Global Food Governance conference, many speakers addressed the unhealthy power of corporations, and there was a strong focus on the transformative power of decolonising global food governance.
Our bulletin this week also profiles Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, in health policy, research and climate justice.
We finish our publishing schedule for 2021 at the end of this week; over the summer break, we will republish some of our highlights from this year.
Warmest thanks to you all for engaging with Croakey this year. We salute everyone who has worked so hard, across diverse spheres, to contribute to the community’s health, wellbeing and safety. We wish you all the best for the festive season, and end the year hoping that 2022 brings justice.
16 December, 2021: The launch this week of the long-awaited National Preventive Health Strategy drew a large, engaged crowd and is timely as the Omicron variant of concern spreads rapidly around the world.
Clear communications, strong public health leadership and investment in prevention are required in this time of competing political and public health agendas and rapidly changing circumstances.
Meanwhile, we report this week on “extraordinary leadership” from Aotearoa New Zealand on tobacco control.
We also bring news from a recent webinar that explored ways to improve the healthcare system’s sustainability. Suggestions included: tackling over-diagnosis and over-treatment, boosting climate health communications, and privileging Indigenous knowledges.
Restorative healthcare is the focus of our final report from the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) #BackToTheFire conference series.
Croakey Conference News Service coverage
Croakey Professional Services
The North West Melbourne PHN cross-published a Croakey article sponsored by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. It appeared on their website, in Network News and on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Other matters
Congratulations to Croakey Health Media chair Professor Megan Williams on being appointed Associate Dean (Indigenous) in the Faculty of Health at UTS.
Editor-in-Chief Dr Melissa Sweet contributed to a statement by the Public Health Leadership Coalition convened by the World Federation of Public Health Associations. It calls for actions to promote equity, public health leadership and global coordination to address pressing global health challenges,including the COVID-19 pandemic and other health threats.
Melissa Sweet was nominated for the 2021 Results Media Leader Award.
9 December, 2021: The Omicron variant of concern has now been identified in 57 countries, according to the latest World Health Organization report. The news highlights the urgency of our lead story this week, on the need to invest in developing and supporting Australia’s public health workforce.
Other critical workforce issues are also raised by a group of early and mid-career public health researchers.
Don’t miss our latest report from the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives #BackToTheFire conference series, which reveals the story behind the award-winning Marr Mooditj organisation’s staff motto, “eat the frog”.
We bring you a variety of perspectives on the legacy of outgoing Health Minister Greg Hunt, ahead of the long-awaited launch next week of the National Preventive Health Strategy. Also make sure to follow #FoodGovernance2021 for news from an important conference next week.
We also detail a new report documenting how the Australian Government is failing to provide basic medical care for people in immigration detention.
If 2021 has got you down, take some time to enjoy the musical clips shared by Professor Kathy Eagar and Associate Professor Lesley Russell in their latest columns – COVID Snaps, and The Health Wrap respectively.
This is our penultimate bulletin for the year – though we will bring you a “best of Croakey 2021” selection for summer reading. Don’t forget our informal, end-of-year Zoom from 5pm AEDT today. To join, please register here.
Our final Croakey Conference News Service report from the #BackToTheFire conference series:
At our end-of-year social #CroakeyCatchUp, participants reflected upon the best things from their 2021. It was a nourishing discussion.
2 December, 2021: What does it take to achieve meaningful change?
This week our bulletin profiles change-makers in a variety of settings: global, national and local.
Globally, there is progress towards a pandemic treaty, with the new coronavirus variant Omicron showing it’s well past time to address vaccine inequities.
We also hear from change-makers delivering green energy to remote communities, better lives for ex-prisoners and a more sustainable healthcare system.
From the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) conference series, we hear about the power of Birthing on Country to give children the best start in life.
Meanwhile, researchers argue the need for changes to the governance of Australian universities, and there are calls for action to address the violence experienced by nurses.
We know it’s been a long, hard year for many. Please join us for an informal #CroakeyCatchUp and debrief on 2021 – online from 5pm AEDT on Thursday, 9 December. Register here.
The Croakey Conference News Service published stories arising from these conferences: #FoodGovernance2021, #BackToTheFire, #NNF2021, and #GreenHealthForum21.
As the Symplur analytics below show, 130 Twitter participants sent 775 tweets about the #GreenHealthForum21 between 22 November and 6 December, creating 6.69 million Twitter impressions. 
25 November, 2021: With “freedom” plastered across Government promotions for COVID vaccination, several of our stories this week dig into the complexities and challenges that we face in the months ahead, from vaccinating children, to delivering third doses, remaining vigilant, and addressing misinformation and vaccine inequities, globally and within Australia. Check our survey of health leaders on some of these issues.
And don’t miss the gripping read from our correspondent in Vanuatu, award-winning journalist Ginny Stein, who investigated the island nation’s fifth case of COVID-19, and charted the limitations of the country’s healthcare system, island politics and cultural learnings around death and grief.
On the climate crisis, we hear from Tuvalu government minister Simon Kofe, as well as from a member of Monash University’s virtual delegation to COP26, Associate Professor Zerina Tomkins, who stresses the importance of empowering nurses and midwives for climate action.
Reporting for the Croakey Conference News Service, Cate Carrigan provides an indepth preview of the upcoming Greening the HealthCare Sector Forum. Follow #GreenHealthForum21 on Twitter for more news.
In The Health Wrap, Lesley Russell puts a strong focus on women – at work, home and the running track.
And it’s not too late to make a submission to a federal parliamentary inquiry into “outrageous corporate behaviour” towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Other activities
Croakey Health Media director Peter Lewis is launching a new book, ‘The Public Square Project: Reimagining our digital future’. It includes a chapter by Croakey Health Media Chair Professor Megan Williams and Editor-in-Chief Dr Melissa Sweet.
18 November, 2021: At Croakey’s recent pre-election forum, we discussed the idea of assessing election policies through the lens of their impact on future generations. It’s an apparently revolutionary concept when those who wield most power in our world have very little concern even for today’s children. We see this in many stories in our bulletin this week, whether examining the COP26 outcomes, the incarceration of young children, or failures in regulation of digital platforms.
Failures in housing policy are also highlighted across several stories this week, from COVID outbreaks in the Northern Territory, to Berlin and onshore immigration detention in Australia. We also hear of impressive community-driven activism for health, from the Uluru Statement to the rise of independent political candidates.
The Croakey Conference News Service is also in action this week, bringing news from the National Nursing Forum, and previewing an NHMRC Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability webinar – on Twitter, follow the news at #HealthClimateSolutions21. Sections of the health sector, at least, are striving for more sustainable practice that acknowledges responsibility to future generations.
Don’t miss the 2021 Dr Charles Perkins Oration, delivered by Tony McAvoy SC, the first Indigenous Senior Counsel and Co-Chair of the Indigenous Legal Issues Committee of the Law Council of Australia.
The article above was written by Dr Esther Schroeder as part of her University of Sydney global health Capstone project, supervised by Croakey’s Dr Melissa Sweet.
Other activities
@CroakeyServices live-tweeted from the Reconciliation Australia annual conference.
Thanks to our supporters, including the Australian Health Promotion Association
11 November, 2021: This week, our bulletin identifies some harmful silences. Amid excitement in Glasgow about many countries committing to net zero health systems, the Australian Government remains silent on healthcare emissions. Meanwhile, researchers detail a “deafening silence” from governments on addressing health inequities as part of Australia’s COVID responses. Out-of-pocket costs, which remain a significant barrier to healthcare, are another area where governments remain silent.
Where governments are failing to act, community and health sector voices are loud – including about the need to boost vaccination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities before the summer holiday season. Likewise, we feature strong calls from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on climate action. Don’t miss the latest CroakeyVOICES podcast, reporting on the Lowitja Institute’s discussion paper, ‘Climate Change and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health’.
The Croakey Conference News Service also reports from the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) conference series on new momentum for an apology from nursing and midwifery to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for racism in care, historic and ongoing. And from the National Nursing Forum, we have an in-depth wrap on nursing’s responses and experiences during COVID from across the country.
And we bring you plenty more reading, too. Jump in. And make some noise.
The Croakey Conference News Service reported on the National Nursing Forum.
4 November, 2021: No-one could seriously accuse the Australian Government of showing leadership on climate action, not even during COP26. In the absence of political visionaries, our stories this week are a reminder that leadership comes in many forms and can be found in many places.
We report on climate leadership by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations, and from across the health sector. We also profile health professionals and community members who are stepping up to engage with the political process as independent candidates.
We hear how leadership by Aboriginal patient experts is helping to transform kidney care and research through the Aboriginal Kidney Care Together – Improving Outcomes Now (AKction) project.
Health equity leader Professor Fran Baum shares a personal reflection upon recent events at Flinders University and universities more generally.
Don’t miss the comprehensive Croakey Conference News Service reports compiling our coverage from the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference and the Youth Health Forum National Summit. From the National Nursing Forum, Jennifer Doggett reports on nurse-led models of care.
We also bring news of changes in the leadership of Croakey Health Media.
And here is a Twitter thread reporting from the first of our #AusVotesHealth events on 4 November – compiled by public health student Sienna Crabbmor who has been on placement with Croakey.
The Croakey Conference News Service has been reporting on wide-ranging issues and events.
#AusVotesHealth
On 4 November, Croakey hosted an online discussion to discuss health and the upcoming federal election.
Sponsored content
The writing and editing of the first sponsored content article in a series, Holding that space: game-changing kidney project has ‘research activism at its core’, was a collaborative and enjoyable process. The article was written for Croakey Professional Services by Marie McInerney and edited by Croakey editor Dr Melissa Sweet and AKction chief investigators Dr Kim O’Donnell, a Malyangapa/ Barkindji woman and health researcher, and Kelli Owen, Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman, the Community Engagement Coordinator for NIKTT.
Please cite this article as: O’Donnell, K, Owen, K (Eds). Holding that space: game-changing kidney project has ‘research activism at its core’. On Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide, South Australia). Croakey Health Media, 2021.
On 5 November, the second article in the series was published: Dreaming big: building a movement in Aboriginal kidney healthcare.
Please cite this article as: O’Donnell, K, Owen, K (Eds). Dreaming big: building a movement in Aboriginal kidney healthcare. On Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide, South Australia). Croakey Health Media, 2021.
28 October, 2021: Flinders University’s “ill-conceived” plans to cut the prestigious Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity were met with incredulity and outrage by local and international health leaders this week. Social media erupted with support for the Institute’s widely respected director Professor Fran Baum and colleagues after Croakey Health Media reported the cuts.
All eyes will be on Glasgow this weekend and the future health of our planet at COP26. Our lead story looks at an important roadmap to address the health risks of climate change. Also catch up with our Twitter wraps from the landmark #IndigenousClimateJustice21 event and the #DEA21 conference.
Two stories this week highlight the importance of COVID vaccination in caring for community and Elders, and we also report on calls for Local Government Areas in rural and regional areas to open up only as they each reach high vaccination rates.
The Health Wrap is another treasure trove of health news from near and far, and Croakey’s coverage of the Australian College of Nursing’s National Nursing Forum continues.
Primary health reform is also on the agenda with the release of the draft 10-year plan, and a new report looks at why private sector participation in aged care has not improved quality or cost of care.
We hope to see you at our first #AusVotesHealth online event, from 5pm AEDT on 4 November.
The independent Adelaide online newspaper, INDAILY, followed up and cited Croakey’s story on the axing of the Southgate Institute and leading public health academics. The story prompted an outpouring of response on social media from leaders in global health and public health.
The Croakey Conference News Service covered the Australian College of Nursing’s National Nursing Forum.
Tasmanian MP Cassy O’Connor, leader of the Tasmanian Greens, sharing #HousingJusticeAus tweet.
21 October, 2021: Commonwealth, state and territory government planning on COVID is proceeding “with the implicit understanding and acceptance that some people are going to be left behind,” writes Professor Kathy Eagar in her latest column.
One might see this as the continuation of a longstanding pattern. In Anti-Poverty Week, we report on evidence from experts that Federal policies are exacerbating childhood poverty and inflicting harm on families and children.
Meanwhile, toxic climate politics continue, with little evident concern for planetary and human health. On net zero, we publish an open letter to rural and regional MPs with an eight-point strategy for healthier rural economies and communities.
A landmark roundtable meeting, hosted yesterday by the Lowitja Institute with the National Health Leadership Forum and the Climate and Health Alliance, heard of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and knowledge being at the forefront of national responses to the climate crisis.
We also publish an open letter calling for a dedicated national safety plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Ahead of next week’s National Nursing Forum, Jennifer Doggett reports for the Croakey Conference News Service on the agenda for nurses and nursing in the pandemic and beyond.
And the Federal Government is being urged to publish a report on whether its decision to allow the big tech industry to regulate itself on misinformation and disinformation is working. When the fox is in charge of the henhouse, you know what happens next…
Croakey Conference News Service
We previewed and live tweeted an #IndigenousClimateJustice21 webinar hosted by the Lowitja Institute, together with the National Health Leadership Forum and Climate and Health Alliance.
The Croakey Conference News Service also previewed the National Nursing Forum.
Other activities
Croakey columnist Alison Barrett presented an overview of the COVID wrap to the South Australian public health conference – see her presentation here.
14 October, 2021: What price ‘freedom’? It’s a question on many people’s minds, as New South Wales opens up to ‘live with COVID’ while vaccination rates are still low among many groups and regions. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health experts are among those urging a slower opening until communities are safer.
Despite all the determination to ‘go back to normal’, the pandemic offers the opportunity for huge transformation, including of our health system, as emergency physician Dr Clare Skinner writes.
Our bulletin this week also focuses on global issues, from a new malaria vaccine to deepening COVID-19 vaccine inequity. Ahead of critical global climate meetings, we kick off a #HealthyCOP26 series, in partnership with the Climate and Health Alliance.
Don’t miss our regular columns. In The Health Wrap, Associate Professor Lesley Russell looks at the pandemic’s impact upon oral health, especially for children, reviews the latest evidence on Long COVID and reports on NHS success in slashing carbon emissions.
Researcher Alison Barrett also has an important focus on children in the latest COVID-19 wrap, while Professor Kathy Eagar’s COVID SNAPS questions whether Dominic Perrottet is the Premier for NSW or for Sydney?
At Croakey, we applaud the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to courageous journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov. It is critical recognition at a time when public interest journalism is under threat from so many directions. We were delighted to publish an article by Ressa recently, ‘For the sake of health and democracy, there are growing calls to regulate digital platforms’.
A Twitter thread on failures in political COVID communications, by Croakey’s Editor in Chief Dr Melissa Sweet, had widespread engagement.
Croakey is delighted to be working on our #HousingJusticeAus project with Monash University public health student Sienna Crabbmor and University of Sydney global health Capstone student Dr Esther Schroeder (pictured below). 
And don’t forget to stock up on Croakey merch – a range of health-promoting designs on many different goods, from cushions to bags and notepads. Here is CroakeyVOICES podcaster Cate Carrigan sporting the look.
7 October, 2021: This week we explore the impact of COVID on health systems and workforce, and also investigate the importance of vaccinating children as we open up. “We need to do everything possible to protect every child,” writes one contributor.
Ageism and social isolation are identified as significant public health issues for older people that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
In the midst of a public health crisis, nothing could be less inspiring than the sight of political leaders fighting over public hospital funding. Thankfully, health policy analyst Charles Maskell-Knight is on hand to sift the politics from the facts.
We are delighted to report on a recent online forum, hosted by researchers at the School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, which produced clear recommendations for improving public health communications with culturally diverse groups. Contact Croakey Professional Services for details about sponsored content opportunities.
From Torres Strait Island communities, we hear some powerful messages about the cultural determinants of health, and the need for action on issues such as housing, infrastructure, climate change, and the COVID vaccine rollout on remote islands.
Other stories investigate the unhealthy power of corporates from Facebook to the alcohol industry.
Our final Croakey Conference News Service report from the recent Oceanic Palliative Care Conference calls for better care for LGBTIQ+ people who still face discrimination and ignorance at the end of life. And our last report from the recent Youth Health Forum Summit has some useful lessons for politicians and health organisations. Just imagine a health system with young people in charge.
30 September, 2021: According to Professor Kathy Eagar, many Australians are now in a state of COVID liminality – a waiting room between lockdown and what comes next. Our lead story brings a clear message from the experience of “opening up” in England: health inequalities will worsen without concerted efforts to stop this happening.
People with disability are being left behind in the race to open up, warns El Gibbs. She urges all states and territories to urgently review their plans to open up to ensure that disabled people are fully protected. All levels of government have to work together to get the vaccines to the disability community who were meant to be first in line, or we will end up at the back of the queue, she writes.
Our bulletin this week also puts the spotlight on youth voices for health, food security for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, self-determination and primary healthcare, values in public health, solidarity for health workers under attack, communications disorders, global palliative care news and Cuba’s medical diplomacy. Don’t miss the latest edition of The Health Wrap, and some fascinating stories of social media activism by people with Long COVID.
Want to save the planet? Amongst other things, Dr Peter Tait recommends catching a new documentary, Big Deal.
On 29 September, Melissa Sweet joined a Consumers Health Forum of Australia panel discussing social communications for health. This Twitter thread shares some of the resources discussed.
23 September, 2021: In the wake of violent protests in Melbourne, Linda Doherty investigates how far-right and corporate interests are converging to undermine public health responses to the pandemic. While extremists capture the headlines, many young people are feeling “frustrated, unrepresented and disconnected”, according to our report from the Youth Health Forum National Summit.
Amongst other things, they want action on global health and the social determinants, including education, housing, and employment. We look forward to hearing much more from young people in the run up to the global climate summit, COP26. Meanwhile, what might Australia learn from a new Biden Administration plan to address the risks of extreme heat?
As the World Congress of Epidemiology heard about the importance of strength-based approaches in Indigenous health research, UTS researcher Danielle Manton discusses cultural safety in physiotherapy practice. Associate Professor Lesley Russell continues in-depth investigations of the Medical Research Future Fund, and we also bring more reports from the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference – don’t miss the fascinating podcast produced by Cate Carrigan.
We’ve had a great response to a new column, COVID SNAPS, by Professor Kathy Eagar, Director of the Australian Health Services Research at the University of Wollongong, who writes: “Working in the NSW health system is a health hazard at the moment and Victoria is not much different.”
Croakey Conference News Service coverage of Youth Health Forum National Summit
Croakey Conference News Service coverage of Oceanic Palliative Care Conference
Croakey Conference News Service coverage of the World Congress of Epidemiology
16 September, 2021: Our stories this week give voice to a wide range of health advocates and issues, and remind us of the power of voice as a determinant of health. And we are reminded of the harms caused by exclusion and silencing.
We report on developments in pandemic policy and science, in Australia and globally, and cover the latest news on climate and health, and also some critical media policy issues.
If you have questions about Long COVID, Alison’s Barrett’s COVID-19 wrap is here to help.
We also continue our coverage of the 2021 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference, the World Congress of Epidemiology, and the Youth Health Forum National Summit.
Let us hope that the rallying call of our lead article – Build Back Better – has impact. This will depend, of course, on whose voices are privileged by those who wield power.
We are also delighted to report that Croakey Health Media features as a case study in new research from the Public Interest Journalism Initiative, ‘Understanding the role that philanthropy can play in supporting public interest journalism and how to enable it’. Read it here.
Croakey Conference News Service coverage of Oceanic Palliative Care Conference
Croakey Conference News Service coverage of World Congress of Epidemiology
Croakey Conference News Service coverage of Youth Health Forum National Summit
Croakey’s Dr Amy Coopes featured on ABC TV’s The Drum on 14 September, 2021
9 September, 2021: This week, delegates to two different conferences – one about palliative care and another on epidemiology – heard some similar messages from keynote presentations. These were about the importance of addressing health inequities and their underlying determinants, including racism and injustice.
Of course these are longstanding concerns, but COVID-19 is bringing their impact to the fore, as we explore in a story about the pandemic experiences of people in prisons. Families told journalist Cate Carrigan of people with disability and health conditions being held in harsh conditions, cut off from communications, including with their children, and with inadequate access to masks and sanitiser.
A number of our stories this week explore media-related issues, from misinformation and disinformation to climate denialism. Don’t miss the latest news on climate and health, by Dr Amy Coopes, while The Health Wrap also brings a stack of important and wide-ranging reading.
Stay tuned for more stories from the World Congress of Epidemiology and the 2021 Oceanic Palliative Care Conference. Our lead story this week is a challenging and also uplifting read that encourages health professionals to consider “getting political”.
World Congress of Epidemiology coverage
Oceanic Palliative Care Conference
Other Croakey reports and activities
Melissa Sweet’s tweet featured in an article at The Conversation on 7 September, ‘What is life going to look like once we hit 70% vaccination?’.
2 September, 2021: In the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services has established a special office to address climate change and health equity. In Australia, when was the last time you heard a Prime Minister or Premier even mention the words, ‘health equity’?
Yet, as our stories this week underscore, we are at a crucial time in the COVID pandemic in Australia for health equity. We face the very real risk that governments will press ahead with policies that exacerbate and entrench existing inequities, in health and education.
Aboriginal communities in western NSW are bearing the brunt of what happens when governments do not prioritise the needs of those most at risk during a public health crisis, as are people in prisons.
At Croakey, we want to contribute to some cut-through messaging on the importance of centring health equity in the pandemic response. Please read our call for help with this.
This week we also preview upcoming events that will be covered by the Croakey Conference News Service: this weekend’s World Congress of Epidemiology and the Youth Health Forum’s National Summit on 15 September.
And we feature the second part of Associate Professor Lesley Russell’s thorough and compelling analysis of the Medical Research Future Fund and whether it is living up to its promises. As part of a series sponsored by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, we explore how a recent drop in antibiotic dispensing in the community provides a glimmer of hope in continuing efforts to protect this precious medical resource.
Finally, as we look with horror at developments in Afghanistan, read about what practical steps we can take to urge and support stronger humanitarian responses from the Federal Government, including our moral obligation to provide safety for many Afghans now at risk of persecution.
Dr Haileyesus Getahun is Director of #AMR Global Coordination @WHO and Tripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR (of @FAO, @OIEAnimalHealth & @WHO)
