Echuca Regional Health and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation hope a Memorandum of Understanding will achieve better health services.
Improving health services for Aboriginal people is the aim of a new partnership signed by two district organisations on Friday.
Echuca Regional Health and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to achieve better health outcomes for Aboriginal people in the community.
The partnership will focus on chronic kidney and respiratory disease, alcohol and drugs, diabetes and asthma, as well as mental health and palliative care.
Njernda Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Kevin Williams said a lot had happened to arrive at the point of signing the MoU.
"Our organisation has been around for quite a long time, our community and our people have been around for a long time, a lot longer than that," he said.
"We've grown over the years to the point where we are now, where we employ close to 100 community members within our organisation."
ERH chief executive officer Michael Delahunty said the rate of utilisation of the hospital's services by Aboriginal people had increased over the past three to four years.
"The MoU is a formalisation of a relationship Echuca Regional Health places great importance on with Njernda," he said.
He said the MoU would be overseen by an advisory group made up of two directors and the CEO of each organisation.
Mr Delahunty also acknowledged the work of chronic illness co-ordinator Barbara Gibson-Thorpe, who is employed by Njernda but based at the hospital.
Njernda deputy chief executive officer John Mitchell said the chronic illness co-ordinator role was aimed at helping Aboriginal community members who did not access Njernda's own medical services.
ERH nursing director June Dyson said Ms Gibson-Thorpe played a fantastic liaison role.
"... liaising between their acute episode in the hospital and then what needs to happen to safety discharge them, to make sure they are well supported once they are at home.
"We've seen some terrific successes (from having the role)...We've had a huge increase in the number of people in our hospital that are referred to some of our chronic illness programs.
"Prior to that, some of our Aboriginal population would slip through the gaps."
Yorta Yorta elder Aunty Melva Johnson performed the welcome to country and spoke about the contributions of the Aboriginal community to the hospital throughout the years.
Member for Rodney Paul Weller attended the signing, as did Campaspe Shire representatives and other district health service providers.
Others who attended the special signing were Aunty Denise Morgan, Aunty Mavis Egan, ERH board chair Judy Cook, Aunty Barbara Day, and Njernda chief executive officer Karlene Dwyer.
Source: http://www.mmg.com.au/local-news/echuca/echuca-services-sign-partnership-to-provide-better-health-services-1.19870