impact2021 Program

Why telehealth must better support refugees and migrants in Australia - and how

People from refugee and migrant communities of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in Australia have experienced major social, economic, physical and mental health issues associated with COVID-19 but many have not benefited from the Federal Government’s changes - to Medicare legislation for subsidised access to medical care and advice via telehealth - in response to the pandemic.

As a result, this has excluded many refugees and migrants from an important source of online medical care and information about COVID-19 and other health issues.

In this impact2021 webinar, a panel of academics and practitioners will share insights from their work which aims to make health and technology systems more culturally and linguistically inclusive, including community-based approaches to research and evaluation.

The panel will also discuss options for future opportunities, including those focused on translation in video conferencing, the Health Translation Directory and Translation Interpreting Service, and the growing need to better support refugees and migrants living in rural and regional areas of Australia, with a specific focus on:

• Reducing language, cultural and technology barriers
• Improving social safety nets and broader conditions of life for refugees and migrants
• Specific conditions, such as trauma, anxiety and depression, dental health, sexual and reproductive health, and immunisation
  
  

Panellists:

• Dr Devaki Monani: Lecturer - Social Work, College of Health & Human Sciences, Charles Darwin University
• Mary Ann Geronimo: Director of Policy - Health & Ageing, Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils Australia (FECCA)
• Apajok Biar: Community Facilitator, CREATE Foundation / Chair - Women's, Gender and Diversity Working Group, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network / Chair and Co-Founder, South Sudan Voices of Salvation
• Dr Ben O’Mara: Adjunct Research Fellow - Department of Media & Communication, Swinburne University of Technology / Information Resources Manager, Motor Neurone Disease Australia
• Professor Gemma Carey (Moderator): National Research Director & Academic Director (UNSW), Centre for Social Impact
  
  

> Register for the webinar

Please note: This webinar will commence at 12:00pm (AEST) and registrations will close an hour before.

The webinar will be recorded and made available shortly afterwards. Please register to receive the first release of the recording.

impact2021 is presented by the Centre for Social Impact.