AMS of the Week
Bega Garnbirringu Health Services Incorporated is an Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) located in Kalgoorlie Western Australia. For over 30 years they have catered to the specific health needs of the Wangkatja people of the Goldfields area.
Established in the early 80’s, Bega Garnbirringu or “sickness gets better” employs an extensive range of holistic health care services and programs that endeavour to both prevent and manage health problems of the area.
From Bega’s humble beginnings as a part time clinic in South Kalgoorlie it now operates full time in a top of the range medical complex servicing 8,500 registered clients a year.
Bega Garnbirringu envisions an Australia where Aboriginal people are not disadvantaged and “share a quality of life with health standards and life expectancy equal to the non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community”.
Five Aboriginal Health Workers, two pharmacy assistants, six doctors, a clinic co-ordinator and a registered nurse staff the clinic and provide services like full adult and child health checks, general consultations, pathology and filling prescriptions.
They also have a number of visiting specialists including a podiatrist, dietician, ophthalmologist, paediatrician, dentist and a diabetes’ educator.
Bega provides a number of health programs like environmental health, chronic health and health promotion. These programs cover all aspects of health and thus far have assisted the community in staying strong and healthy in a friendly and caring environment.
A standout service they provide is the Prison Health Re-Entry Program. Its aim is to assist in breaking the cycle of re-offending by working with prisoners and their partners and providing a holistic “through care” service for Primary healthcare, social emotional wellbeing and drug and alcohol issues to assist in breaking the cycle of offending.
For more information on Bega Garnbirringu visit http://www.bega.org.au/
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