MEDIA RELEASE
3rd August 2020
At the heart of Aboriginal health, community voice must lead the way.
The health and wellbeing interests of Aboriginal people has always been, and will continue to be, our primary focus.
To meet those needs First Peoples’ Health and Wellbeing (FPHW) have gone through significant change with a genuine aim to be Aboriginal community led. We plan to achieve this by:
undertaking a complete review of our organisation’s operational frameworks and clinical and strategic governance structures.
reviewing our staffing to ensure Aboriginal leadership is at the forefront of decision making and strategic direction.
CEO of FPHW, Karinda Taylor, states “it’s with great pleasure that we introduce our new Chairperson, Ms. Sue-Anne Hunter, Wurundjeri and Ngurai Illum Wurrung woman. Sue-Anne’s commitment to self-determination and advocating for the rights of all First Nations peoples’ best places her to lead our Board of Directors into the future. I have no doubt Sue-Anne will achieve this with her demonstrated progressive community engagement and relentless positivity.”
Working together Sue-Anne and Karinda will strongly support the reform efforts to make FPHW more culturally safe, responsive, inclusive, and effective to deal with the systemic challenges and impacts of racism and cultural appropriation.
Sue-Anne adds, “new thinking will be needed if we are to achieve our vision encapsulated in our revised business plan. We strive to embed a cultural lens across a westernised model of care. Revitalising our business plan and model of care is not just about the mechanics of how we work together. It’s about renewing our commitment to our values. This strategy, in its simplicity, aims to enable self-determination and empower all First Peoples’.”
FPHW would like to welcome some new members to the team;
Kalina Morgan-Whyman, a proud Yorta Yorta woman with a bachelors degree in commerce with majors in accounting, management and human resources, joins FPHW as the Corporate Services Manager and currently Acting Chief Operating Officer.
Moreen Lyons, a Jaadwa woman from Wotjobaluk nations joins the team and has been tasked with developing a workforce development plan for the organisation. Given the current impacts of COVID-19, Moreen’s major focus is around staff health and broader wellbeing.
Izzy Howard commences on 17th August 2020 as the Site Manager for the Frankston Clinic. Izzy is a Jaadwa woman, a division one registered nurse with a master’s in health administration. Izzy brings an enormous amount of knowledge, compassion and empathy as an Aboriginal woman.
Karinda would also like to acknowledge the ongoing commitment and strong work ethic of Stevie-lee Ryan, Taungurung woman, Aboriginal Health Practitioner, who continues to lead the Thomastown clinic as Site Manager. “Stevie-Lee brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to FPHW and has been a genuine support to onboarding new staff members in recent weeks”, says CEO, Mrs Taylor.