[MMHA-E-Bulletin] MARCH 2005

Tue Mar 29 11:19:08 EST 2005

Welcome to the Multicultural Mental Health Australia MARCH 2005 E-Bulletin.

This free E-Bulletin aims to keep you up-to-date with the latest news and
information related to the mental health and
wellbeing of Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse
communities. For contributions: info at mmha.org.au
The MARCH edition in brief: (please scroll down for more information)

What’s New?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Diversity in Health Conference 2005. Call for Abstracts due 30 April 2005.

2. Multicultural Mental Health Australia’s website survey. Tell us what
you think of the MMHA website!
3. Diversity Health Institute pilots their new online clearinghouse for
multicultural health information.
4. Synergy: MMHA’s magazine No.1, 2005 is out early April. The theme is
Social Inclusion.
5. World Bank Essay Competition for Youth. The theme is: Building a Secure
future – Seeking Practical Solutions.
Deadline 15 April 2005.

Publications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. National Mental Health Report 2004: Eighth Report - Summary of changes
in Australia’s Mental Health Servicesunder the National Mental Health Strategy 1993-2002. Department of Health
and Ageing.
2. Ethnocultural considerations in disasters: An overview of research,
issues and directions.By Anthony Marsella and Michael Christopher. Psychiatric Clinics of North
America, Sep 2004 Vol, 27 No.3.
3. Hardiness and transformational coping in asylum seekers: the Afghan
experience. By Akram Omeri, Christopher
Lennings and Lyn Raymond. Diversity in Health and Social Care, 2004,
Volume 1.
4. Caught Between Stigma and Inequality: Mental wellbeing needs of local
Black and Minority Ethnic communities in
Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster. Project coordinated by Migrant and
Communities Forum and BME Health
Forum, UK. 2005.

Events and Training
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. NSW Education Program on FGM (Female Genital Mutilation): 2005 Workshop
Calendar and venues.
2. Global Health Institute: Women’s and Children’s Health Symposium, 25
May 2005 Wollongong NSW.
3. Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre: Cross-cultural
perspectives in mental health seminar 2005 dates
and venues.

4. The Challenge of Inclusion: People labelled with ‘challenging
behaviour’ and the struggle to belong. Brisbane.
Queensland: 13-15 April 2005.

New additions to the Web
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.Changes to the PBS Medicine rules: Taking medication overseas.
www.hic.gov.au
2. Mindframe-media.info has been updated with new information including
current ABS statistics on suicide rates in
Australia.

3. Victorian Foundation of Survivors of Torture: School Resources.
www.survivorsvic.org.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHAT’S NEW?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.Diversity in Health Conference 2005: It’s Everybody’s Business:
Abstracts are due 30 April 2005. Get your abstract in
to be included in this exciting conference. The conference will focus on a
range of multicultural physical and mental
health priorities. Themes include: capacity development, clinical
innovation research and policy, migration and health,
organising cultural competence. Download Call for Abstracts form at:
http://www.amf.net.au/PDF/Call_Abstracts.pdf or
Tel: 03 9457 7130.

2.Multicultural Mental Health Australia’s website is now 15 months old! We
would like to invite you to visit our website fill
in the survey (approx five minutes); tell us what you think and how we can
better make it suit your needs. All feedback is
welcomed. The survey will only take five minutes. Find the survey at:
www.mmha.org.au
3. Diversity Health Institute (DHI) - Online clearinghouse is being
piloted. This is an exciting online central access point
to a plethora of information on multicultural health in Australia. The DHI
Clearinghouse features searchable databases
on multicultural health resources, services, education and training,
research and projects. View the pilot clearinghouse
site at: http://203.32.142.106. The Clearinghouse is keen to know your
impressions and how it can be improved. Please
complete the Clearinghouse usability survey at:
http://203.32.142.106/Documents/Feedback/SurveyForm.doc. For
further information Tel: (02) 9840 3886 or email:
Melita_Smilovic at wsahs.nsw.gov.au
4. Synergy: MMHA’s magazine No. 1, 2005 is out soon! The theme is Social
Inclusion. Culturally diverse mental health
consumers are at a high risk of being socially excluded affecting recovery
journeys and ongoing mental health and
wellbeing. The edition discusses various issues related to social
inclusion such as the challenges for mental health
services and the role of religion in recovery. We interview a clinician,
carer and consumer and a whole lot more! Look
out for the special Synergy edition of the MMHA E-Bulletin or a hardcopy
soon.
5. World Bank Essay Competition for Youth. To learn what the lack of
secure future really means to youth, to
understand how they deal with this challenge in their daily life and to
enlist their help in finding solutions, the World Bank
is organising the international essay competition: ‘Building a Secure
Future’ – Seeking Practical Solutions. Participants
must be between 18-25 years and the essay a maximum of 4000 words.
Deadline: 15 April 2005. First prize
USD$5000. Website for more details www.essaycompetition.org or
Email:info at essaycompetition.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PUBLICATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.National Mental Health Report 2004: Eighth Report - Summary of changes
in Australia’s Mental Health Services under
the National Mental Health Strategy 1993-2002. Department of Health and
Ageing. This current report is based on the
most recently validated data and covers two additional year of data
submitted by states and territories through the
annual National Survey of Mental Health Services. The Department of Health
and Ageing since 1994 has conducted this
survey annually. For copies contact the Department of Health and Ageing
publications Tel: 1800 066 247 or
www.mentalhealth.gov.au

2. Ethnocultural considerations in disasters: An overview of research,
issues and directions. By Anthony Marsella and
Michael Christopher. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Sep 2004, Vol,
27 No.3. Excerpt: “Good Intentions, though
essential, are not enough. To help the victims of disasters, one must
understand who they are and what they need from
their own perspective. To do so, it is essential one must understand and
respect their culture”. This article is available
at:
http://www.mmha.org.au/Research_Projects/EthnoculturalMarsChris/Enthocultural/file_view
3. Hardiness and transformational coping in asylum seekers: The Afghan
experience. By Akram Omeri, Christopher
Lennings and Lyn Raymond. Diversity in Health and Social Care 2004, Vol 1.
Hardiness and the concept of
transformational coping derived from it are utilised to explore the
response to trauma and dislocation experienced by
various refugees from Afghanistan to Australia. This article comes from
the first edition of this journal, which is
concerned with all aspects of diversity in health and social care. Order
journal:
http://www.radcliffe-oxford.com/journals/J18_Diversity_in_Health_and_Social_Care/default.htm
4. Caught Between Stigma and Inequality. This report focuses on the mental
wellbeing needs of local Black and Minority
Ethnic Communities in Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster. The report
provides the findings and
recommendations of a community-based Task Group. The project ran from
October 2003 to September 2004 and
involved 20 community consultations. The Migrant and Communities Forum and
BME Health Forum, UK coordinated
the project. The report is available for download:
www.kc-pct.nhs.uk/pdfs/caught_between_stigma_and_inequality.pdf
If you would like help in locating these publications please email your
request to info at mmha.org.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EVENTS AND TRAINING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. NSW Education Program on FGM: 2005 Workshop calendar and venues. Do you
work with any people from the
following communities? Sudan, Egypt, Indonesia, Somalia, Ethiopia,
Eritrea, Nigeria, Sierra Leone? Then this one-day
free workshop is for you. Dates: 5  May Cumberland Hospital North
Parramatta; 10 June Macarthur Diversity Services
Campbelltown; 8  July Newcastle Elsie Graham Building, Wallsend Campus; 6
September Blacktown (venue TBA).
Contact Denise Maguire for information and reservations: Tel: 02 9840 3768
or Email:
denise_Maguire at wsahs.nsw.gov.au

2. Global Health Institute Symposium: Women’s and Children’s Health
Symposium 9.30 – 4pm, 25 May 2005, Nan Tien
Temple Function Centre, Wollongong NSW. This free symposium will explore;
how does the knowledge and expertise
of health professional working in overseas settings apply to multicultural
practice in Australia? Key speakers include Dr
Anna Whelan, Dr Garth Alperstein and Prof Anthony Zwi. For bookings and
more information contact Jan Kang or Zora
Uhl Tel: 02 9840 3800 or Email: Jan Kang at wsahs.nsw.gov.au  or
zora_uhl at wsahs.nsw.gov.au
3. Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre: Cross-cultural
perspectives in mental health seminar dates. Venue:
PA Hospital, Ipswich Rd, Woolloongabba Brisbane, Queensland. Filipino
Community Perspectives: 10-12pm 14 April
2005. Sudanese Community Perspectives: 10-12pm 7 June 2005. Bosnian
Community Perspectives: 10-12pm August
(date TBA) 2005. To register your interest or to organise
videoconferencing to sites across Queensland, contact Penny
D’Ath Tel: 07 36240 2833.

4. The Challenge of Inclusion: People labelled with ‘challenging
behaviour’ and the struggle to belong: 13-15 April 2005,
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Queensland. This Community
Resource Unit (CRU) conference will
challenge the labelling of people with disabilities and the subsequent
degradation and exclusion from communities and
society. The conference will bring together a range of people and
perspectives, so that we might understand what it
takes to assist people who need behavioural support to live life with
heart and hope. For more information Tel: 07 3870
1022 or Email cru at cru.org.au

For a complete listing of conferences and training relevant to
multicultural mental health, visit www.mmha.org.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE WEB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Changes to the PBS Medicine Rules: Taking Medication Overseas. The
Australian Government has introduced some
changes to rules for people travelling with or sending medications
overseas. If you are planning a trip overseas, and
need to take prescription medicine, it is very important that you are
aware of the legal requirements associated with
talking PBS medication overseas. Rules also apply to sending PBS
medication before you travel. Contact Health
Insurance Commission’s Drug Division Tel: 1800 500 147 or www.hic.gov.au

2. Mindframe-media.info has been updated with new information including
current Australian Bureau of Statistics on
suicide rates in Australia. Mindframe-media is an online companion to the
publication Reporting Suicide and Mental
Illness – a resource for media professionals.  Download full resource and
quick reference cards at:
www.mindframe-media.info

3. The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST): School
Resources. The VFST has had a long history of
working in schools through which a range of school resources has been
developed. These resources include School’s
In for Refugees – Whole School Guide to Refugee Readiness, Rainbow Program
for Children in Refugee Families and
Taking Action – Human Rights and Refugee Issues Teaching Resource.
Download or purchase resources at:
www.survivorsvic.org.au

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Multicultural Mental Health Australia has extensive listings on mental
health resources and services. Available at:
www.mmha.org.au. For more information please contact us on:
Tel: +61 2 9840 3333
Fax: +61 2 9840 3388
Email: admin at mmha.org.au