EMHS health network – our community – East Metro Health Service

EMHS health network – our community

EMHS provides an extensive range of community services and population health programs for people, both within its catchment and the wider metropolitan area. A snapshot of just a few of these services and programs is provided below.

Aboriginal community health

Aboriginal Acute Care Coordination

The Aboriginal Acute Care Coordination (AACC) program is a community-based follow-up service for Aboriginal people discharged from RPH with an acute condition. The program provides patient advocacy, support and education to enhance the health journey of Aboriginal patients.

Care Coordinators work with Aboriginal patients, linking them with community care providers to support access to services and assist in the management of their health conditions. The Care Coordinators provide support to attend follow-up outpatient appointments to maximise attendance and support the continuity of care.

A Remote Care Coordinator works with hospital staff and health providers to support regional patients in their health care journey.

Moorditj Djena (Strong Feet)

Moorditj Djena is a multidisciplinary podiatry and diabetes education outreach program for Aboriginal people within the Perth metropolitan area, which focuses on prevention and management of foot complications and risk factors such as diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, peripheral neuropathy and other chronic diseases.

Clients receive clinical and education services at various community clinics across the metropolitan area in a combination of community venues and the mobile clinic van. Many of the clinic locations are in partnership with other agencies and stakeholders providing services to Aboriginal people, resulting in a shared-care approach.

Services provided by Moorditj Djena include:

podiatry for assessment, treatment and education
Aboriginal health workers who provide health interventions for prevention, health education, support and advocacy
a Diabetes Educator to support self-management
a Dietitian to discuss healthy eating, including ideas for shopping on a budget, cooking healthier meals and providing recipes.

Approximately 21,300 Aboriginal people are part of the EMHS community

Health promotion

Belmont, Victoria Park, South Perth Local Drug Action Group (BVPSP LDAG)

This group has worked collaboratively with the local government areas, Cancer Council WA, Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Department of Education, WA Police and the Police and Citizens Youth Club to develop solutions for local issues, resulting in the development of the BVPSP Youth Alcohol Action Plan 2022-25, which was launched on 1 June 2022.

The plan represents 18 months of collaboration with youth and local service providers, reviewing contemporary evidence as to what works in minimising the impact of alcohol on young people in the community.

(see here for more detail)

Moorditj Wirrin Koolangkas (Strong Spirit Kids)

Moorditj Wirrin Koolangkas focuses on prevention messages relating to alcohol, tobacco smoking, sexual health and healthy relationships targeting Aboriginal young people in the community.

Aboriginal Health Promotion Officers (AHPO) deliver interactive health education sessions in metropolitan high schools to enable informed decision-making and healthier choices for Aboriginal students aged 11-15 years. The AHPOs also engage with young people and services at community events.

The program has a key partnership with Legal Aid and the Aboriginal Legal Service to deliver content on sex, consent and the law.

Moorditj Wirrin Koolangkahs

Symbol artwork by Missy Thompson
Within the red circle represents an AHPO and a student. Within this circle we exchange knowledge, and we are proud to say we learn from the children as much as they learn from us. As the circle extends out, we have the rest of the schools we meet with. We enjoy our work as we meet new students from everywhere — it reminds us how diverse Perth City is and how grateful we are to be living here.

The footsteps at the bottom are semi-filled in — walking towards the centre meeting with us. The semi-filled in footprints represent students’ knowledge and spirit. As you can see, once they reach the centre — the footprints leading out of the centre are fully coloured — this is to display once meeting with our program, their spirit is empowered and recognises their spirit as having no limit in all they are to do in their journey.

Community mental health

Royal Perth Bentley Group (RPBG) delivers community mental health services covering the City East, Midland and Bentley catchment areas as well as Wungen Kartup (a Specialist Aboriginal Mental Health Service), which delivers statewide services.

Armadale Kalamunda Group (AKG) delivers community mental health services at sites covering the South East catchment area, including Armadale, Gosnells and Serpentine-Jarrahdale local government areas.

In 2021–22 the Community Mental Health Services within EMHS implemented a Care Coordination Framework to coordinate and improve support and service access and promote recovery to consumers of our services.

Care Coordination ensures that our clinicians:

work alongside mental health consumers to assess, plan and review their recovery
engage with family, carers and personal support persons to support a consumer’s recovery
collaborate with general practitioners (GPs) and other care providers to ensure consumers access the right services and supports as required.

Details of other EMHS community mental health services and programs can be found throughout this report.

During 2021-22, EMHS Community Mental Health Services: