The Developmental Outreach Day was a great flowing day, we had many families come through and gain access to these services within the comfort of their community. We have received positive feedback from families, as well as the organisations who joined us on the day.
We had HAPEE Ears for Early Years program, who saw 8 children, each appointment takes 30 minutes for bubba a little less. All the children did so well with Tiffany, who coordinated the check ups. One in three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience chronic otitis media (HHSC 2019) and associated hearing loss that can make it hard for them to listen, learn and talk to others. Evidence shows that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience up to thirty-two months of conductive hearing loss in their first five years of life, compared to just three months among non-Indigenous children (Coates et al 2020; and Kong & Coates 2009).
We had Michelle and Sue from the Building Strong Foundations for Aboriginal Children, Families and Communities services come out and provide culturally safe child and family health services for Aboriginal children from birth to school age.
We had 1 child come through for their regular child health checks and it was documented on their Blue Book.
Bounce Mobile Dentistry is a mobile dental van who are focused on promoting healthy oral hygiene, leading to improved oral health within our community. It is a fully equipped van, with dental worker Meriam and Benita on board for check-up and cleans. We had 9 children get their teeth checked and some fillings were done, and they were also provided with a free mini dental kit to kickstart their oral hygiene practices at home.
All in all it was a highly successful Outreach Day, with many families joining us on the day having gained access to these services to further improve their children’s health and wellbeing. There were many refreshments supplied to families, and parents were forwarded onto other services run by NCNS as per their individual requirements.
The next Outreach Day is planned for Friday the 20th September 2023, please keep an eye out on the NCNS website for our flyers and more information.