[Commpsych] FW: 2012 National Indigenous Health Conference: Many Pathways, One Outcome Gold Coast on December 5-7, 2012

[Heather Gridley]

________________________________

MEDIA RELEASE:
2012 National Indigenous Health Conference: Many Pathways, One Outcome at Watermark Hotel & Spa, Gold Coast on December 5-7, 2012

Seats are now getting very limited for the 2012 National Indigenous Health Conference scheduled on the 5th – 7th of December 2012 at the Watermark Hotel & Spa in the Gold Coast. The event committee has invited several international guest speakers to present Indigenous health programs being implemented in Indigenous communities of Canada and New Zealand whom will be sharing various pathways, insights, results of research studies and different models of practice in the field of Indigenous Health.

Among the prominent international speakers are the representatives of The Kotahitanga Whanau Ora Collective - a network of four Maori Health, Social Services and Education providers based in South Auckland, New Zealand/Aotearoa which provides services to more than 20,000 people and has embarked on a challenging journey to design and transform the way it delivers services to whanau/families through a new family-centred model of care called “Mana Tiaki”.  This model is premised on Maori values and kaupapa (philosophy and platform) and serves to improve the outcomes of families who have significant and multi-faceted needs.  The Kotahitanga Collective will be sharing their insights and are keen to support the overall intent of the conference in promoting indigenous models and approaches to reduce the gap in Indigenous health.

Te Puea Winiata of Ngati Rangi Ranginui tribe from Tauranga is the CEO of Turuki Health Care, a Maori provider of health, social and wellbeing services in South Auckland and Chair of the CEO Steering Group of the Kotahitanga Whanau Ora Collective. She also currently holds several national positions as Chair of Te Rau Matatini Trust, a member of the Henry Rongomau Bennett Foundation and a member of the Matua Raki Alcohol and Other Drug Workforce Development Advisory Group. Te Puea previously worked as the Service Manager, Maori Mental Health Services, Auckland District Health Board; a Senior Analyst for the Ministry of Health; a Maori Health Advisor, He Kamaka Oranga, Auckland District Health Board.  She is also an experienced social worker, social work senior practitioner, and a manager and counselor in the alcohol and drug field.

Natasha Kauika-Stevens of Nga Rauru, Ngati Tuwharetoa me Ngati Kahungungu is the CEO of Te Kaha O Te Rangatahi Trust, a Maori Youth Health and Wellbeing Provider in South Auckland and is also the Change Manager for the Kotahitanga Whanau Ora Collective. Natasha has worked in the New Zealand health sector for the last 12 years and is experienced in Community Development, Maori Health Funding and Planning roles. In her current CEO role, Natasha manages an innovative youth-focused organisation that specialises in Sexual Health Education in Maori and non-Maori Schools (e.g. Secondary, Kura Kaupapa Maori and Alternative Education Centres).  Te Kaha also provides a Teenage Parenting Service for Youth aged 12- 19 years of age and a Mama & Pepi (Mother & Baby) Support Service.

Sharon Shea of Ngati Ranginui, Ngati Hine, Ngati Haua and Ngati Hako is the Principal Consultant for Shea Pita and Associates and is a Specialist Advisor to the Kotahitanga Whanau Ora Collective. Sharon graduated from both Oxford & Auckland University with an MSc in Comparative Social Policy (Distinction) and Bachelor of Laws and Arts and began her career in 1993 as a lawyer at Kensington Swan then moved into the health sector where she held a range of senior management roles in government and non-government organisations focused on Maori health improvement.  In 2000, Sharon worked in England with the NHS and after she completed her postgraduate studies, returned to New Zealand and run a successful consulting business. She is widely recognised as a leader in the field of strategy, outcomes framework development, project and change management and systems design.  Sharon is particularly interested in Maori Development and reducing health, social, education and economic inequalities across all populations.  She holds a variety of Board memberships for both private and public/not-for-profit organisations and, as requested, fulfils Ministerial appointed roles within New Zealand.

Furthermore representatives from the northern hemisphere will also be sharing different Indigenous health pathways implemented in various Indigenous communities in Canada. Dr. Matthew ‘Matt’ Gustafson from the University of British Columbia, Canada will be presenting the results of their multi-disciplinary research study showing positive correlation between oral health and overall physical health; recommending oral health providers should consider physical fitness and systemic health in order to achieve improvement in oral health in First Nations communities. Matt attended the University of Victoria where he majored in Chemistry then entered the DDS program at the University of Alberta. Following graduation from dental school, he spent a year as a resident in the UBC general practice residency program and is currently working as the senior resident in this program. In 2011 and 2012, he worked at Haida Gwaii aboriginal communities where he conducted research on the relationship between overall fitness and oral health. Matt was also previously published in Canadians for Health Research about alcoholism.

Doris Peltier is a publicly disclosed Aboriginal HIV-positive from Wikwemikong First Nations on Manitoulin Island. Since being diagnosed with AIDS in 2001, she has been involved in HIV/AIDS activism within the Aboriginal community at the regional and national level. She has served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN). Her current role as Aboriginal Women and Leadership Project Coordinator involves coordinating a consultation process with 300+ Aboriginal women in 11 cities across Canada which resulted in the development of a national strategy to address Aboriginal women's HIV and AIDS issues. She also played a pivotal role in the establishment of CAAN VOW (Voices of Women), a standing committee of 14 strong Aboriginal women who will monitor the strategic action for five years and is currently serving as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC) - a national NGO run by and for people living with HIV/AIDS, including those who are co-infected which promotes informed public policy and builds awareness on issues that impede access to treatment and health care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Doris also heads CTAC’s Aboriginal Working Group (AWG) to address treatment and access issues for Aboriginal people living with HIV. She will be presenting a keynote session entitled ‘Creating Safe Spaces for Women Living with HIV: Utilizing an Indigenous Sharing Circle Model to Engage and Build Capacity for Women’ with her co-speaker, Carrie Martin.

Carrie Martin is a Mi'gmaq woman from Listuguj, Canada completed her B.A. in Applied Human Sciences at Concordia University and a B.S.W. at McGill University. She spent the past 12 years working in the field of Aboriginal women's health and is the current Holistic Health Coordinator at the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal (NWSM) where she facilitates HIV and Hepatitis prevention activities in prisons. Carrie is a member of the Montreal Collective for Girls and Women in Conflict with the Law and at a national level, she’s a member of the Reference Group for the International Centre for Infectious Diseases, the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases and participated in the Health Council of Canada's project "Understanding and Improving First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health in Canada" to discuss cultural competency and safety in urban health care. Recently, she became a member of the Community Advisory Board of the Canadian HIV Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS). Her work in the area of Reproductive Justice has also resulted in her recruitment to La Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances' Roundtable Consultation Group. She also serves as a Research Coordinator in the needs assessment in Aboriginal health, the first steps in a long-term initiative to establish the first-ever Aboriginal holistic health centre in Montreal. She remains passionate in developing policy and practices to improve the overall conditions of Aboriginal health.

Indeed this 3-day event will offer a truly unique experience for all delegates. Attending this event presents an opportunity for workers in the field of Indigenous health to form new alliances and opportunities at the same time gaining an intricate working knowledge of presented successful community programs and efficient strategy implementation.

To register for the event, please contact us at admin at indigenoushealth.net<mailto:sosmedical at ymail.com> or call 41252347.



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