AHCWA’s sexual health training program The Birds and BBVs has been on the road again this quarter, working with ACCHS staff and other partner organisations to increase their skills, knowledge, confidence and motivation to yarn with their clients and community about the importance of STI and BBV testing. The program is facilitated in partnership with Hepatitis WA and Western Australian Aids Council and works to normalise sexual health within primary health care, and due to recent outbreaks in Western Australia, current training has had a strong focus on syphilis prevention.

The team travelled to Albany and Roebourne, delivering the training at the Great Southern Aboriginal Health Service in Albany to 10 staff and one intern from Fiona Stanley Hospital who was doing placement at Pioneer Health in Albany. The trainers then travelled to Roebourne, where they delivered the program to 12 people, including staff from Mawarnkarra Health Service, Yaandina, Western Australian Country Health Service and Karratha Emergency Department.

AHCWA Nurses Joe Stan and Veronica Walshe also travelled to South West Aboriginal Medical Service to deliver the Aboriginal Health Practitioner Immunisation training course. The training ran over three days, with give AHPs from SWAMS and one AHP from WACHS participating.

The course works to raise awareness about the importance immunisation within communities and successful completion of this training offers AHPs the knowledge and skills to administer vaccinations to their clients.