Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service

 

Bawrunga is an Indigenous owned and managed organisation incorporated under the Association Incorporated Act (1984) in September 1999. Our organisation has 120 Indigenous members and has been delivering primary health care and educational programs to the Aboriginal community since 2000. We are proud of our innovative programs and our record of independence of State or Federal Government funding. All donations made to Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service are tax deductible.

Background

The local Gumbaynggirr people were taken from their traditional lands and settled in various Missions around the North Coast and further a field. Some of the local Nambucca people were employed as labourers and these people, although not sent to Missions were not allowed to remain on their traditional lands. The combination of these actions had the effect of almost erasing the local culture and eroding the ability of the local people to access their traditional lands.

A group of Indigenous people came together from the Nambucca Valley area in 1999 to formulate a fully integrated and full-time medical service. This medical service was the only full-time, affordable and accessible service available to the communities at this time. Since beginning back in 2000 we now offer 3 clinics in the Nambucca Region that are located at Bowraville, Nambucca Heads and Scotts Head.

Bawrunga Aboriginal Medical Service Incorporated (BAMSinc) has been operating its clinical components since 2001. The local Aboriginal people through their board of Directors manage and operate these services. This project has been self-sustaining for 3 years and provides a health and medical service to the Aboriginal community without funding from either the State or Federal Governments.

The local Aboriginal people have worked hard to provide this service to their communities of Bowraville, Nambucca and Scotts Head. Bawrunga is proud of its achievements and the past three-years financial figures show that this enterprise is sustainable under its current operations. Additionally, there is room to expand other worthy services that will deliver further project sustainability, as the needs of the Aboriginal community are identified and met.

Our primary focus is on preventative health education, addressing early childhood nutrition and parenting, acute health issues, diet, substance abuse, healthy lifestyles and youth related issues. Other priorities we will focus on include: heart disease, diabetes and healthy ageing.

The Bawrunga initiative is important because it is the only autonomous Indigenous Health Education Centre in Australia that also delivers a medical service.

Expanding our Operations and our Vision

Bawrunga is now working on the next big challenge and that is to purchase a commercial property. Our vision is to develop a fully independent community based centre servicing the Bowraville and Nambucca Valley District. For us to achieve this we need to buy our own land and building.

The purchase of this building will give the local people the ability to:

• Expand and provide additional services from a secure and permanent base
• Address issues of stability
• Reduce the huge costs of renting and finding suitable premises
• Gain recognition for the local traditional people who have been involved in providing local solutions to local problems without any government funding to date.
• Provide recognition and empowerment through land ownership that has previously not been possible to most of the local Aboriginal people due to the assimilation policies of the past

For Bawrunga to continue its services and provide choices to the Aboriginal Community we need to purchase a commercial property. We have currently identified a suitable property and have developed plans as to how we can best utilise the property.

The property is situated at Nambucca Heads, NSW, is 1,200 square metres in area, and located right in the central business district of the town. The National Australia Bank and Commonwealth Bank are next-door neighbours, and the property has main street frontage and back street access to its large parking area with great development potential. The building itself contains commercial and residential premises supplying a steady income stream. This is a unique opportunity as the supply of commercial premises is rapidly drying up with no more land available for new commercial buildings in the CBD of Nambucca Heads. Nambucca Heads is one of the fast growing seaside towns in NSW, located on the Pacific Highway, 30 minutes drive south of Coffs Harbour, a major regional centre with rail and air links to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Bawrungas Mission is to continue to develop

1. A well managed Health Education Centre based on preventative best practice with an associated medical centre
2. Professionally qualified staff with the necessary competence to interface with Indigenous and the general community over a broad range of health, education, housing and employment issues that; are all interrelated with the cycle of poverty; that occurs within Indigenous Communities.
3. A Governance structure based on a Constitution and including an Indigenous Board of Directors supported by an Executive Management
4. Our self sufficient operation and continue our independence from welfare and Government assistance

Bawrungas goals for the next three years are to

1. Establish financial security for BAMS to ensure the continuity and expansion of the programs we offer our community
2. Maintain a supportable infrastructure that will deliver long-term health and educational services
3. Secure premises that will allow the effectual operation of BAMS to provide Health Education and Medical Services
4. Develop specific strategies in the promotion of our health program and services while developing a demographic database that links to related health promotion strategies.
5. Continue to build alliances with local and other organisations.
6. Develop a management plan to effectively implement the goals of the organisation.

Special Initiative Objectives

The special initiative objectives of Bawrunga are to:

1. Promote Health Education through appropriate strategies.
2. Develop opportunities for other Indigenous enterprise; including Youth Projects that lead to real opportunities in job placement and creation.
3. Develop efficient and effective practice management programs.
4. Employ a core staff of trained professionals and support staff with a particular focus on nurturing the training and employment of Indigenous Health Workers and support staff.
5. Employ medical practitioners, contract funded through Medicare on a fee for services basis, as a percentage of Medicare takings.
6. Further increase the health and preventative education of target communities and ensuring access is available full-time.

Services provided by Bawrunga

All services are provided free of charge by Bawrunga Medical Services are bulk billed to Medicare.

Profits from Bawrunga

Profits generated by Bawrungas Medical Services will be used to fund social and preventative programs, including: drug & alcohol, counselling, diabetes, womens and mens issues, youth programs, Indigenous training and employment, healthy lifestyle and emotional well-being programs.

Review Procedures

The Board of Directors conduct regular reviews and audit annually. Additionally, a needs analysis and a strategic plan are developed and reviewed every third financial year. The first cycle of this process is
2004 2007.

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