Another example illustrating the power of education for health workers and people living with viral hepatitis, and the need to tailor initiatives to each setting and community.
Efforts are being stepped up to raise awareness in regional SA about viral hepatitis and its prevention.
Health professionals across regional South Australia are strengthening their awareness and knowledge of blood-borne virus prevention and building practical skills in responding to at-risk clients. At the same time, the SA component of the federally-funded HepLink program is actively reaching out to regional services to provide hepatitis B education and support.
With funding support from Country SA Primary Health Network (PHN), the South Australian Network of Drug and Alcohol Services (SANDAS), SA Harm Reduction Peer Service (SAhrps) and the Hepatitis SA’s Education program have joined forces to offer workshops in SA regional centres.
Two workshops were delivered in October-November last year, in Murray Bridge and Berri, and two more are scheduled for the coming months to be held in Port Augusta and Mount Gambier.
Titled Essential Skills in Alcohol and Other Drugs, Harm Reduction and Blood Borne Virus Prevention, the full-day workshops explore topics including the types, effects,
and responses to different drugs, practical harm reduction approaches and the impacts of stigma and discrimination.
Participants are given up-to-date information on blood safety practices and prevention of hepatitis B which affects Aboriginal communities at a higher rate than the wider community, as well as on hepatitis C and HIV.
As the new hepatitis C cure is reaching more Australians and hepatitis C prevalence reduces, focus is shifting to hepatitis B, one of the leading causes of liver cancer: more prevalent in Aboriginal communities, and immigrant communities from regions of higher prevalence such as East and Southeast Asia, the Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa.
Hepatitis SA’s HepLink education officer, Yingbin Xu, has reached out to services in regional SA communities to provide hepatitis B education and support services. “So far, we have provided information and education to the community at Point Pearce, and have linked up with the Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC) in Whyalla,” she said.
“We hope to reach more communities around the Eyre Peninsula, and we are also getting in touch with services in Murray Bridge, Naracoorte and Bordertown.”
Hepatitis SA Education Coordinator, Jenny Grant who co-facilitates the Essential Skills workshops, said they had strong engagement from Alcohol and other Drugs (AOD) workers, Aboriginal Health Workers, mental health clinicians, counsellors and youth workers at the Murray Bridge and Berri workshops.
“Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “Many described the sessions as both engaging and informative, and said they appreciated the opportunity to connect with peers and deepen their understanding of how stigma and systemic barriers affect people who use alcohol and other drugs.”
She said the workshops provided valuable opportunities for regional health workers to build confidence in supporting clients and communities, adding: “For us, they also help to foster stronger connections across the community services and public health services.”
To find out more about hepatitis B education workshops, email: education@hepsa.asn.au
