Health and Wellbeing Service Providers

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The following health and wellbeing services are available in the ACT for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to access. Click on each heading below to show more information.

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services
Winnunga

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services (Winnunga Nimmityjah) is a community controlled primary healthcare service operated by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of the ACT.

Winnunga Nimmityjah is a bulk billing service – meaning all services at Winnunga Nimmityjah are free of charge for Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander clients.

Winnunga Nimmityjah also provides a transport service for people who are unable to arrange their own transport to and from health service appointments.

Winnunga Nimmityjah’s model of care and services

The holistic model of health care provided by Winnunga Nimmityjah encompasses not only medical care, but a range of programs to promote good health and healthy lifestyles by provide a culturally safe, holistic health care service for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and surrounding regions.

Clinical services offered by Winnunga Nimmityjah include:

  • Immunisations,
  • Health checks,
  • Chronic disease management,
  • Cervical screening,
  • Hearing tests,
  • Dental checks, and information and support about diet.

Winnunga Nimmityjah also offers a range of groups and programs including:

  • No More Boondah tobacco cessation program
  • Women’s group
  • Men’s group
  • Elders’ group
  • Pregnancy group,
  • Mums’ and bubs’ group
  • Healthy cooking classes.

Winnunga Nimmityjah has a system in which any person can walk into the clinic at any time during opening hours and be seen by the next available doctor.

Appointments are only required for a few services such as dental, physiotherapy and psychiatry.

For more information visit Winnunga Nimmityjah or call 02 6296 8900.

Gugan Gulwan Aboriginal Youth Centre
Gugan Gulwan

Gugan Gulwan is an Aboriginal youth centre located in the ACT suburb of Wanniassa. Gugan Gulwan works with young people through a range of programs that go well beyond the services provided by most youth centres.

Gugan Gulwan Services include:

Child, Youth and Family Support Program (Community Services Directorate)

The objective of the Child, Youth and Family Services Program is to deliver a range of child and youth centred and family focused services and support that meet the needs of vulnerable children, young people and families in the ACT. The services and support are delivered within an integrated and collaborative service model. The services particularly target the following service delivery:

  • Case Management
  • Group Programs
  • Youth Engagement
  • Therapeutic Services

Drug and Alcohol Program (ACT Health Directorate)

The objective of the Drug and Alcohol service is to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who are at risk of and /or experiencing problematic alcohol, tobacco and/or other drug use; their families; and the community and deliver the following Services:

  • Harm Reduction: Information and Education
  • Support and Case Management – Dual Diagnosis Outreach Service, which offers support and case management services to young people experiencing mental health and alcohol and other drug problems concurrently. This service includes access to alcohol and other drug (AOD) workers who:
    • Provide comprehensive alcohol, tobacco and other drug (ATOD) assessments, basic mental health screening and brief interventions and suicide risk assessments
    • Manage intoxicated clients
    • Use motivational interviewing
    • Use relapse prevention.

Reconnect Program (Commonwealth)

Through intervention from this project the goal is to effect reconciliation between young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families (which includes extended families) leading to restoration in a culturally appropriate way where this is acceptable for all parties, or some other acceptable and appropriate alternative.

The focus is on early intervention through mediation, support and counselling. There must be an overall willingness and ability to be flexible in dealing with adolescents/families that may be resistant to intervention. Services under the reconnect program include:

  • Family liaison / mediation
  • Early intervention
  • Education and training
  • Accommodation support
  • Brokerage

Gugan Gulwan group programs include:

  • Drop in Program
  • Community Arts Program
  • Lunch Program
  • Young Men’s Mentoring Program
  • Young Woman’s Group
  • Parenting Our way Programs
  • Bimberi Arts Therapy Program
  • Drug and Alcohol Arts Therapy Group at Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC)

For more information visit Gugan Gulwan or call 02 6296 8900.

 

Domestic Violence Crisis Service (DVCS)

DVCS is here to help people build lives free from domestic violence and fear and provide 24/7 crisis intervention services to anyone who is experiencing, or has experienced, domestic and family violence. Their crisis services are provided 365 days a year and include:

  • Telephone support
  • Attendance with police at domestic and family violence incidents
  • Access to safe emergency accommodation
  • Safety planning
  • Referrals to support services.

When you call, you will speak to someone specially trained in crisis intervention and support who understands domestic and family violence—someone who will listen and believe you.

They understand that everyone’s situation is different, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. They understand that relationships are very complex and they do not pressure people to leave or call police or involve the courts.

For more information visit the Domestic Violence Crisis Service or call 24/7 on 02 6280 0900.

Canberra Rape Crisis Centre – Nguru Program

The Nguru Program provides culturally appropriate counselling for members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, who have experienced sexual assault, and their families.

Nguru aims to help service users assess their circumstances and relationships, and to make choices, decisions and plans for the future. The Nguru programs approach is holistic and family centred. Assistance is provided through discussions with professional counsellors in individual and group sessions (where appropriate).

The program also provides education and training to community members, and other non-government members, government agencies, service providers and schools about the causes, effects and responses to sexual violence against women and children in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

For more information visit the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre or call 02 6247 2525.

Child and Family Centres

Located at Tuggeranong, West Belconnen and Gungahlin. Opening hours Monday - Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm.

The early years of a child’s life sets the foundation for their future health, development and learning. The Child and Family Centres are a one-stop-shop for supporting families during this important time.

The Centres are staffed by highly skilled, experienced and qualified practitioners with social work, psychology, specialised nursing or other health, welfare and education qualifications. The staff at the Centres work to deliver a range of support programs and services to assist parents and young children (pre-birth to 8 years; however selected services can be offered to children up to 12 years of age).

Gungahlin: 51 Ernest Cavanagh St, Gungahlin, Phone 02 6207 0120
Tuggeranong: 159 Anketell St, Greenway, Phone 02 6207 8228
West Belconnen: 6 Luke St, Holt, Phone 02 6205 2904

For more information visit Child and Family Centres.

Walk-in Centres

Walk-in Centres offer free health care for minor injuries and illnesses such as colds, flu, cuts, sprains, bites and stings.  Walk-in Centres are located in Belconnen, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, and Weston Creek. A fifth Walk-in Centre will open in Dickson in 2020.

Opening hours are from 7.30am to 10pm daily, including public holidays. No appointment is needed.

All Walk-in Centres are led by a team of highly skilled advanced practice nurses and nurse practitioners with extensive experience in treating people with minor injuries and illnesses. There are no doctors at their clinics.

If you have complex health conditions or children under 2 years, please visit your GP for advice.

In an emergency or life-threatening situation, please call triple 000.

For more information visit Walk-in Centres.

Healthdirect

Healthdirect is a government-funded service that provides 24 hours a day, 7 days a week access to health advice and information via a telephone helpline and a range of digital channels to help people make more informed health decisions.

As a multichannel service, Healthdirect is available to people when and where they need it. People can call the helpline, visit the website, check their symptoms online and download the app for easy mobile access to all Healthdirect content and online tools.

For more information visit Healthdirect or call 24 hours on 1800 022 222.

Northside Community Service

Northside Community Service deliver more than 40 diverse programs and services to a wide range of people in the ACT, including children, young people, families, older people and people with a disability and their networks of support.

Northside Community Service are proud providers and partners in services which improve inclusiveness and access across the human services system for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex people, people with significant mental health issues and people who have experienced chronic homelessness.

A range of services are available which include:

  • Mental Health and Wellbeing
  • Ending Homelessness
  • Youth Engagement
  • Older Person’s Support
  • Connecting the Community
  • In Home Support
  • Community Transport
  • Children’s Services.

For more information visit Northside Community Service or call 02 6171 8000.

CarersACT – Support for Aboriginal Carers

The Carers ACT Program Coordinator has a strong understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural needs and works directly with carers to link them into culturally appropriate supports.

For more information visit CarersACT or call 02 6296 9900.

Toora Women Inc

Toora Women Inc offer a wide range of specialist services to women, experiencing issues including accommodation or housing, domestic violence, addiction and counselling such as:

  • The impact of their own or another person’s drug and alcohol use
  • Domestic, family and sexual violence
  • Homelessness with or without children
  • Mental health issues
  • The ACT corrections system

For more information visit Toora Women Inc or call 02 6122 7000.

Menslink

Menslink was established to meet the increasing needs of young men and their families in our community. Menslink supports young men across our region in three ways:

  1. Encouraging them to speak up and get help, or inspire their mates to get help, through educational sessions in schools and other community groups;
  2. Providing intensive short-term counselling to help them get through stressful life events with the least amount of harm to themselves and those around them; and
  3. Longer term mentoring support from positive male role models, especially for young guys who are socially isolated or for the 17% of young men who no longer live with their father.

For more information visit Menslink or call 02 6287 2226.

EveryMan

Everyman supports men who are at risk of homelessness, living with mental health issues like depression or anxiety, living with disabilities, men who are perpetrators or survivors of violence, men who are ex-prisoners, socially isolated, or having relationship or parenting difficulties.

For more information visit EveryMan or call 02 6230 6999.

Page last updated on: 9 Nov 2020