Healthy Cities Illawarra has been involved in the area of sexual health and HIV Prevention for the past 15 years. In the late 1980’s, with considerable concern about the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus, Healthy Cities has played a role coordinating public awareness, providing community education and advocating for the rights of people with HIV/AIDS. Our objectives in this area include to:
- Coordinate campaigns to raise and maintain public awareness of HIV/AIDS
- Improve coordination and delivery of sexual health education in the region
- Build community and professional capacity in the area of sexual health
- Provide professional input into service planning for sexual health in the region
In November 2005, Emma Hawke completed a report for Healthy Cities Illawarra entitled ‘Exploring sexual health issues of the culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Wollongong’.
The recommendations from the literature review, focus groups and interviews with sexual health providers and multicultural community development workers she conducted demonstrated that CALD communities in Wollongong have a number of complex, cross cultural sexual health issues and that there are opportunities to develop and implement health promotion projects related to key findings. These included overcoming barriers to accessing information and using services, increasing the awareness of newly arrived African communities of HIV/AIDS in Australia, increasing safe sex awareness in young people from a CALD background and creating a better sexual health service for CALD communities.
Coupled with this, the NSW Health HIV/AIDS Strategy 2006-2009 marks a departure from previous approaches in that it significantly boosts the level of priority attached to HIV/AIDS issues for people from CALD backgrounds. The Strategy identifies people from CALD background as a priority population in exactly the same way as it recognises gay men, IDU and Sex workers for the whole sector.
People from CALD backgrounds have emerged as a population experiencing disproportionate risk of contracting HIV, and at being at higher risk of late HIV presentation and associated poorer health outcomes. Changes in the Australian government immigration programme are expected to result in an increase in the number of people from CALD backgrounds in NSW over the life of the strategy.
Given that that this area is a priority and that gaps have been identified, a position was created by South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Healthy Services in partnership with Healthy Cities Illawarra for the position of a Sexual Health Promotion Officer for the CALD community which Jenny Farinella was recently successful in attaining. Jenny will be sitting with the HIV/AIDS and Related Programmes Unit at the University of Wollongong.
Please feel free to contact Jenny for further information on 4221 6740 or on jennifer.farinella@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Previous Projects
Some of our work highlights over the years include:
- Annual coordination of World Aids Day which involves publicity, media, red-ribbon sales, information distribution to thousands of people each year.
- Sexual health education to over 300 young people in the region each year through school workshops, information displays and special promotions at University and other public events.
- Coordination of professional development activities for people working in the area of sexual health.
- Health promotion and project assistance to services targeting at risk groups or people.
- Conducting specific sexual health project work with particular cultural or geographical communities.
- Provision of counselling and personal support to people with HIV/AIDS or their family and friends.
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