Health Education Resource available in New Zealand

1. Vitamin D Deficiency
2. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Childbirth
3. For HIV / AIDS

Multilingual information available internationally

1. New South Wales (NSW) Multicultural Health Communication Service
2. Victorian Government Health Information
3. Let's Talk Mental Health
4. The Victorian Foundation for the Survivors of Torture Inc
5. Ethnomed

Vitamin D deficient rickets was considered almost completely eradicated by the 1960s and today it is assumed that vitamin D deficiency is rare, affecting mostly the housebound elderly, the institutionalised and hospitalised. However, there is accumulating evidence that vitamin D deficiency exists among free-living individuals, particularly dark skinned and/or veiled immigrant populations. A recent study1 reported that 18 cases of vitamin D deficient rickets were diagnosed in children with pigmented skin at the Starship Hospital in 1998.

Due to New Zealand’s increasing immigrant population a fact sheet on vitamin D deficiency has been developed and is available on the Auckland Regional Public Health Service’s web-site: http://www.arphs.govt.nz/Publications_Reports/nutrition/NHfactsheets/VitaminD_factsheet.pdf.

 Information on this fact sheet includes:

• food sources of vitamin D

• recommendations for sunlight exposure (for pigmented and non-pigmented skin)

• who is at risk of vitamin D deficiency

• assessment and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.

1. Blok B, Grant C, McNeil A, Reid I. Characteristics of children with florid vitamin D deficient rickets in the Auckland region in 1998. NZ Med J 2000; 113:374-6.

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Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Childbirth

Female Genital Mutilation in New Zealand: Manual One - Understanding the Health and Protection Issues by FGM Education Programme, 1998.
-a 40 pg manual for child protection professionals.

Female Genital Mutilation in New Zealand: Manual Two - Understanding and Responding. A guide for Health Professionals by FGM Education Programme, 1998.
a 45 pg manual for health professionals.
Childbirth Picture Books by WIN NEWS
- Somali childbirth picture books for use by health professionals

FGM and New Zealand by FGM Education Programme, 2001
- pamphlets in African languages outlining the New Zealand Law on FGM.

FGM Training Kit by FGM Education Programme, 1998.
- A kit with overheads, slides, posters and pamphlets used for FGM training

Guidelines for Obstetric/Gynaecology Care by FGM Education Programme, 2001
- Guidelines for deinfibulation, antenatal, delivery and postnatal care of women with FGM

FGM: Information for Health Professionals by FGM Education Programme, 2001
- pamphlets for health professionals.

For more information on FGM resources, contact the Refugee Health Education Programme: FGM@exposure.org 

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For HIV / AIDS

Health Information on HIV and AIDS by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- HIV education and awareness pamphlets in African languages. Note : Can be used for pre-test counselling

HIV Community Education Poster Kits by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- HIV Poster sets to be used for HIV education 

Taking your Medication by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- Anti HIV Medication Information Sheet available in African languages (Amharic, Somali, English)

Non Nucleosides by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- Anti HIV Medication Information Sheet available in African languages 

Nucleosides by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- Anti HIV Medication Information Sheet available in African languages 

Protease Inhibitors by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- Anti HIV Medication Information Sheet available in African languages 

HIV and Pregnancy - Considering Having a Child ? by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- Pamphlet on considering becoming pregnant in African languages

Living with HIV Handbook - by FGM Education Programme, 2000 
- 20 Pg handbook for HIV positive refugees in African languages

For more information on HIV resources, contact the Refugee Health Education Programme: HIV@exposure.org

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Multilingual information available internationally

New South Wales (NSW) Multicultural Health Communication Service

http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/

NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (Multicultural Communication) provides information and services to assist health professionals to communicate with non-English speaking communities throughout New South Wales. The NSW Department of Health funds the service, and endorses the multilingual health information published on the website. There are over 300 publications on health in a wide range of languages and a new publication is produced each month. Some multilingual resources produced by other services are also listed on this website and there are links to related websites.

We produce Resources and Translation Guidelines, and act as a central point of referral to other agencies and workers undertaking research with ethnic communities. We provide strategic advice to NSW Health, and handle enquiries from health staff about all aspects of multicultural communication. 

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Victorian Government Health Information
Public Health, Department of Human Services, Victoria, Australia

Publications available in other languages  http://www.healthtranslations.vic.gov.au/

The Transcultural Mental Health Centre (New South Wales)

http://www.tmhc.nsw.gov.au/

The Transcultural Mental Health Centre, established in 1993 as a statewide service, promotes access to mental health services for people of non-English speaking background (NESB).
The Centre also works with consumers, carers, health professionals and the community to encourage positive attitudes to mental health.

The Centre recognises people's cultural and linguistic differences in their understanding of mental health. It seeks to support mental health policies, programs and services that ensure access and equity of service, while respecting cultural traditions and sensitivities

http://www.dhi.gov.au/tmhc/translatedinfo.htm

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Let's Talk Mental Health

The aim of the Let's Talk Mental Health Project was to develop a collection of appropriate resources to address the information needs of communities of NESB in New South Wales about mental health, using preferred communication strategies identified b6y communities of NESB. The material was developed to promote community awareness of mental health issues such as stigma and to provide basic information on psychosis, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety. 
The following brochures are available in PDF format for download: 

• What is Mental Health? 
• Stigma & Anxiety 
• Depression 
• Schizophrenia 
• Family Help Kit

In 1998 NSW's Centre for Mental Health developed the Family Help Kit in English in order to help families better understand and recognise mental health problems in children, adolescents and young people. The English version of the kit was modified to meet the needs of diverse populations and it was then translated into 15 community language groups. 
The following topics are available in PDF format for download: 

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Problems 
• Challenging Behaviours 
• Grief and Loss 
• Fears and Anxiety 
• Post Traumatic Stress 
• Depression 
• Suicide Prevention
• Psychosis 
• Body Image & Eating Disorder

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The Victorian Foundation for the Survivors of Torture Inc

http://www.survivorsvic.org.au/home.php 

The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST) is a rehabilitation centre established in 1987 to meet the needs of people in Victoria Australia who were tortured or traumatised in their countries of origin, in other countries, or while fleeing those countries. 

Project Development Work:
The Refugee Health General Practice Development Program
The Food and Nutrition Project for Recent Arrivals from Refugee Backgrounds
The Health Access Pathways for New Arrivals Project
School-based Program for Children and Young People from Refugee Backgrounds and their Families 

The VFST is currently implementing a school-based program for children and young people from refugee backgrounds in partnership with Victorian school communities. The program comprises two projects: 

Strengthening Supportive Families and School Communities for Refugee Children Project. This is for primary level children and their families and is funded by the Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) under its Stronger Families and Communities Strategy. 

Pathways to Resilience Project targeted to refugee young peopled and their families. This project is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care under the National Suicide Prevention Strategy (NSPS). 
For more details about these two projects an information brochure is available in pdf format.

Other school based projects currently being conducted by the VFST: 
The Rainbow Children’s Program, a structured group program for children aged 8-12 years, their teachers and parents funded by VicHealth. It builds on and extends a program initially developed with funding from the Myer, James Goold and EM Horton Family Trusts. 

A curriculum for use in mainstream schools aimed at enhancing awareness of refugee issues and promoting a welcoming and hospitable environment for refugee children and young people. This project is funded by the Myer Foundation. 

Off to a Healthy Start - A study conducted collaboratively by VFST and Deakin University with funding from VicHealth to find out what helps young people who have recently arrived in Australia settle well. 

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Ethnomed - http://ethnomed.org/ 

EthnoMed is a website containing medical and cultural information on immigrant and refugee groups. It contains information specific to groups in the Seattle area, but much of the cultural and health information is of interest and applicable in other geographic areas. 

The project started in 1994 to bridge cultural and language barriers during medical visits. The objective is to make information about culture, language, health, illness and community resources directly accessible to health care providers who see patients from different ethnic groups. EthnoMed is designed to be used in clinics by care providers in the few minutes before seeing a patient in clinic. 

The site provides :

• Culture specific pages
• Cross cultural health information
• Translated health information
• Journal articles

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