Adrian Chernyk: Health & Indigenous Australians
Adrian Chernyk – Passion for educating and helping others
A not often discussed health burden facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is musculoskeletal pain (MSP). In addition to the painful physical symptoms, many Indigenous Australians who feel unwelcome and unacknowledged by mainstream medical services feel no choice but to suffer in silence. Statistics Musculoskeletal pain refers to pain felt in the musculoskeletal system, …
Continue reading “Pain and Prejudice: Musculoskeletal Conditions and the Fight to be Validated”
Though Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) women make up only 3% of Australia’s female population, they account for over one-third of Australia’s female prison population. 80% of Indigenous female prisoners are mothers. Research released in May based on interviews with 43 Aboriginal mothers across six prisons found that the overwhelming majority of them don’t …
Continue reading “Health of Aboriginal Mothers Neglected in the Australian Prison System”
New research recently published by the University of Sunshine Coast Nursing and Midwifery has found the rate of Sudden and Unexpected Death in Infants (SUDI) was more than 3.5 times higher for Indigenous Australian infants than non-Indigenous infants from 2010-2014. The Australian government’s Closing the Gap campaign had reported SUDI rates as only two times …
Over 6,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) children in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) are at risk for hearing loss, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) NT hearing health report released last week. According to the report: “While a number of hearing health services have been provided to Indigenous children and …
Continue reading “Hearing Loss Affecting Indigenous Australian Children”
On October 14, 2019, a campaign to urge Western Australian Legislative Counselors to vote “no” on a Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill was launched. The proposed laws would give terminally ill adults living in WA who are in pain and likely have less than six months to live (or one year if they have a neurodegenerative …
Diabetes is one of the biggest health epidemics in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) community today. It is estimated that 3 million Australians will be affected by Type 2 diabetes by 2025. ATSI people are 3 times more likely to have Type 2 diabetes (formerly known as adult-onset diabetes) than non-ATSI people. The …
Continue reading “Diabetes at Crisis Levels for Indigenous Australians”
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make up 3% of Australia’s population, or just over 760,000 people. There are about 500 different Aboriginal peoples in Australia today, each with their own territory, language, customs, and beliefs. This rich diversity is what makes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture so special—and what makes coordinating medical treatment …
Continue reading “Coordinating Medical Treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patients”
CNN has reported that “two years after the Australian government rejected a landmark plan to officially recognize indigenous people in the country’s Constitution, a top official said he will move forward with a national referendum on the issue.” Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples have long campaigned to be formally recognized in the Constitution, according …
Continue reading “Australia May Recognize Indigenous People in the Country’s Constitution”
A new post by Adrian Chernyk. In the wake of Australia’s colonization by the British in the 18th century, indigenous Australians have faced social marginalization, land dispossession, political oppression, and population decline, among many other challenges. The after-effects of this period are still evident today, as indigenous Australians continue to suffer poorer health and reduced …
Continue reading “Health Challenges Facing Indigenous Australians”
Adrian Chernyk: Health & Indigenous Australians