The Kimberley has the highest rates of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Western Australia – but through the establishment of a new community-led, research-backed project known as END RHD Communities, there’s hope this will change.
Already established in two communities in the Northern Territory, the END RHD Communities project is all about equipping remote Aboriginal communities with the resources and support to prevent the initial Strep A infection that leads to rheumatic heart disease.
Central to the project are local Aboriginal Environmental Health workers who are employed to coordinate on-the-ground activities, including assessments of household conditions which contribute to the risk of Strep A infections spreading.
Dr Rosemary Wyber, general practitioner and Head of Strategy for END RHD, said the project differed from other established RHD control programs which tend to focus only on treating established disease. By also addressing the social and environmental causes of rheumatic heart disease, the project aims to improve health outcomes throughout the community.
Feedback from the two established END RHD Communities in the Northern Territory has been positive Dr Wyber said, which is why she’s thrilled the Federal Government is backing the expansion of the program, with a $950,000 grant announced by the Minister for Indigenous Health, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP.
“The average age of death from rheumatic heart disease in the Kimberley is 41 years old, so we know there’s a real need for this type of work.”
“This new funding will help us understand how integrating environmental health services with primary care can have measurable health outcomes. This gives us the best opportunity to prevent new cases of RHD by stopping skin and throat infections which cause the disease” Dr Wyber said.
The project will be led by the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service (KAMS) and Nirrumbuk Environmental Health and Services, with the technical support of the End Rheumatic Heart Disease Centre of Research Excellence (END RHD CRE), based at The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Vicki O’Donnell, CEO of KAMS, said that with the necessary support, ending rheumatic heart disease is an achievable goal.
“We know the way to stop rheumatic heart disease is by creating healthier environments – things like addressing access to running water and overcrowding.”
“Tackling the environmental factors that increase the risk of Strep A infection gives us the best option to stop rheumatic heart disease. It is a preventable disease” said Ms O’Donnell.
The goal of the project is to develop a collaborative model of service delivery that can be rolled out across Australia into other communities with high rates of RHD, and in the process, help to close the gap in Aboriginal health outcomes.
“Delivering this model in the Kimberley will provide much needed services, new learnings, and inform development activities which will help us not only end RHD in Australia, but will help to reduce the rates of linked diseases such as scabies, otitis media, and trachoma” Dr Wyber said.
Funding for the END RHD Community in the Kimberley was announced by the Indigenous Minister for Health, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP on Monday 8th October 2018. Read the Minister’s statement in full here.
Related: Community collaboration ensures ending RHD is everybody’s business
