GREATER community engagement and delivering a new strategic plan will be at the forefront of Aboriginal community health organisation Pangula Mannamurna in the new year.
The indigenous health facility’s chief executive Andrew Birtwistle-Smith predicts 2020 will bring a host of new opportunities for the organisation, including developing more external partnerships.
Reflecting on his first calendar year at the helm, Mr Birtwistle-Smith said Pangula Mannamurna had achieved a substantial amount of its internal and external goals for 2019.
Among the organisation’s high-points were its NAIDOC Week celebrations, Reconciliation Week activities, and its recent Christmas community lunch held on Wednesday.
Mr Birtwistle-Smith also highlighted the Healing Circles Wetland project, completed this year following extensive planning over a number of years.
“Staff are finding themselves utilising the area in regards to their day to day business and now we wish to look at how we can also get more our of our offices and start working with clients and the community in the area,” he said.
“First and foremost we are here to serve the Aboriginal and wider community and look at what needs they believe are to be met around health and well being.”
Mr Birtwistle-Smith said the organisation continued to forge new relationships and partnerships with the non-Indigenous community, including other key service providers.
“So far this has been quite successful and for the next year in store we are looking at maintaining those relationships and developing them further,” he said.
“This will include assisting Indigenous children who are under state care and encouraging them to focus on well being and culture.
“With these children we will also be looking at how we can assist as a health organisation to reduce the number of children going into care.”
Mr Birtwistle-Smith revealed the organisation’s new strategic plan for 2020 will focus on its core goals of community health and well being.
“The entire point of this is to ensure we are supporting the community and looking at what the community believe they need,” he said.
The organisation has also secured a new registrar general practitioner for the new year, with its current practitioner staying on board for another six months.
“This is fantastic news because it allows us to expand our clinical services and look at the needs in regards to services within the community,” he said.
“What we do is based around ensuring we are at the forefront of the community and keeping that engagement going.”
