The Diversity Dialogues seminar series has been developed by HCC for consumers and health service providers to explore ways to develop health services and patient care strategies that respond to cultural diversity.
Diversity Dialogues comprise a panel discussion where the panelists from a range of cultural backgrounds share their knowledge and experiences around culturally aware practice, building culturally inclusive services and discussing the importance of cultural awareness in best practice. The outcome of the forums is to formulate recommendations regarding best practice.
The focus of the next diversity dialogue is delivering quality and culturally responsive telehealth services (in any health setting including general practice, hospital and allied health) to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, through the pandemic and beyond.
The HCC has partnered with the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC), Curtin University and La Trobe University to bring you this inaugural online event.
Covid-19 thrust us quickly into using telehealth (phone, online and video consultations) which has come with a range of great benefits as well as numerous issues, particularly for this hardly reached population.
Our panel will discuss lived experience as well as expert knowledge to explore and unpack issues and provide practical strategies to navigate telehealth with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and achieve best practice. There will also be time to answer audience questions.
This webinar is free to attend and is aimed at health service providers wishing to improve capacity, capability, and confidence in this area. It may also be of interest to consumer representatives such as District Health Advisory Council (DHAC) and Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) members.
When: Thursday 3 September 2020, 11-12.30pm AWST
Where: Online (webinar)
Meet the Panellists:
Pip Brennan – Executive Director of the Health Consumers’ Council (WA) Inc. (panel Chair)
Pip Brennan has worked in the community sector for the last 18 years. Inspired by her own experiences of the confusing maternity care system, Pip initially volunteered as a maternity consumer representative in a range of roles. She began her paid health career as an Advocate working at the Health Consumers’ Council (HCC) from 2006. She has been a conciliator of health complaints, a health NGO professional and always a firm believer in the value of consumers being at the table. She took on the role of Executive Director of the HCC in WA from 2015.
Vivienne Pillay – Executive Officer, Ethnic Communities Council of Western Australia
Vivienne has worked in the human services area for 38 years. Born in Singapore with heritage from Sri Lanka and Scotland, she migrated to Perth with her parents in the 1970s.
In 1994, whilst at Centrelink, Vivienne was awarded an Australia Day Medal for achievement in the Public Sector. Whilst at Women’s Health and Family Services (WHFS) in 2010 she won an International Women’s Day Award for contributing to the status of ethnic women. Vivienne worked at WHFS for some 12 years, first as an advocate and then as Manager for Domestic and Family Violence Services then as Chief Financial Officer.
Vivienne has taken an active community role and has been Member of the Ministers’ Advisory Council in 2010 for HON Minister John Castrilli Minister for Multicultural Interests, Member of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) committee responsible to the Minister for Child Protection, Executive member of the Women’s Council for Family and Domestic Violence and Vice president for Women’s Interest with the Ethnic Community Council of WA. She is currently (since 2019) the Executive Officer of the Ethnic Communities Council of Western Australia and is a member of the WA Council of Social Services Peak Bodies Forum and a member of the State Emergency Relief Committee.
Nihal Iscel – Team Leader Consumer and Stakeholder Engagement, Multicultural Services Centre of Western Australia
Nihal has many years of experience working in the multicultural and disability sectors in various roles providing support to build the capacity of the people from CaLD backgrounds to access the services they need and meaningfully participate in the community. She currently holds two part-time positions working as the Coordinator of Independent Disability Services at the Multicultural Services Centre Inc and also, as an Advocate at the Ethnic Communities Council of WA Inc.
Rachel Pearce – Dietitian and Health Services Manager, Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services
She has over 10 years’ experience working with people from CaLD backgrounds through her roles at Princess Margaret Hospital, ASeTTS (Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors), Perth North Medical Local and Ishar. Rachel joined Ishar Multicultural Women’s Health Services in 2017 as the Health Services Manager. She is responsible for a range of health-related programs and manages a team of health professionals including doctors, nurse, midwife, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, domestic violence and health promotion officers. She is also an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and provides dietary advice to clients.
Ella Davies – Managing Director and Interpreter, WA Interpreters
Born in former Yugoslavia, Ella is very familiar to living in a multicultural society. Her interpreting carrier began in 1993, when employed by the European Union Administration in the city of Mostar as an interpreter and translator. Ella migrated to Australia in 1996 and continued interpreting in the community for the refugees from former Yugoslavia. In 2005 started running her own agency – WA Interpreters Pty Ltd. Ella is passionate about the interpreting industry in Australia and she dedicates a lot of work and time towards enhancing the profile and standing of interpreting professionals within a community.
Being a refugee herself and through her vast experience with interpreting in the community Ella has a great understanding of the issues facing new migrants and the professional staff dealing with them and the need to have an impartial and professional interpreter who can assist staff in their job without interfering or giving advice and opinion.
Dr Amandeep Hansra – practicing General Practitioner, NSW and national telehealth expert
Dr Amandeep Hansra is a practising GP in Sydney. She is a national expert in telemedicine and digital health, with nearly a decade as Senior Medical Adviser at Medibank Health Solutions and then in 2014 became the founding Chief Medical Officer and CEO of Telstra ReadyCare (first full telemedicine service in Australia) and went on to be the Chief Medical Officer for Telstra Health. Amandeep also established a telemedicine service in the Philippines in partnership with leading Swiss telemedicine provider Medgate. She has also had experience working with diverse populations including First Nations people, Refugees and Asylum seekers, migrant populations and those from CALD backgrounds. She is a consultant to the Government on migration health.
Amandeep works as a digital health consultant and has been involved in a number of government digital health reviews: the EPAS/ EMR Independent Review in South Australia; a review of the National Health Services Directory for the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA); member of the independent four person panel advising on potential government involvement in the mHealth market for the ADHA and the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC); and review of governance and quality of Tasmania after hours telehealth service for Healthdirect Australia. Most recently she was involved in assisting with the setup of the National Coronavirus Helpline.
She also sits on a number of boards and committees including as Member of the RACGP Expert eHealth Committee (Practice Technology and Management Committee) and Chair of the NSW AMA Systems and Technology Committee.