Gunnedah and Tamworth locals were reminded to take care of their hearts as HealthWISE Aboriginal Health Workers joined forces with local pharmacies for National Heart Week on May 5-11.
Mel Williams and Vicki Gardner have become familiar faces at Tamworth’s Discount Drug Store and Carter’s Pharmacy in Gunnedah, where they have been working to close gaps for Indigenous customers as part of a 12-month pilot program funded by Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.
The dynamic duo provide free blood pressure and blood glucose level tests, discuss prescriptions and correct use of medication and connect customers to local services, while creating a more culturally appropriate and safe environment for Aboriginal people.
For National Heart Week, Vicki and Mel were front and centre outside the pharmacies where they connected with the community, provided information on cardiovascular health, free blood pressure tests and fruit.
“We decided to come out of our little backroom and present ourselves to the whole community,” Mel said.
“I think it was very beneficial that everybody – even if they didn’t go to that chemist – could see that we weren’t aliens or, you know, white coat monsters!”
Heart health is a crucial issue for those in the New England North West region, with 4.8% of the population experiencing heart disease compared to 3.9% of the general Australian population, according to the 2021 census. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a higher risk, and tend to develop heart disease between 10 and 20 years younger than non-Indigenous Australians.
“We did do a lot of educating,” Vicki said. She and Mel took the time to explain in simple terms what the blood pressure results meant for each person so that they were better informed to make health decisions.
Over the past 10 months, Vicki and Mel have seen the value in building trusted relationships with Aboriginal pharmacy visitors, as they are able to have ongoing discussions about health with regulars and link them with a variety of local services. They have played a vital role in creating a culturally safe environment in the pharmacies. The pair are thoroughly enjoying connecting further with the local community and having a direct impact on clients’ wellbeing.
Vicki and Mel can be found at Tamworth’s Discount Drug Store on Mondays and Carter’s Pharmacy in Gunnedah on Wednesdays between 9am-2pm – no appointment needed.
