By Alesha Capone
The closure of a medical centre that supported indigenous people in the west is being lamented as a “significant loss”.
The Gathering Place Medical Aboriginal Corporation (The Gathering Place), which was based in Werribee for nine years, shut down last month.
Founder and chief executive Colleen Marion said the Aboriginal-controlled organisation had provided culturally-sensitive healthcare services to indigenous people who were reluctant to attend mainstream services.
Ms Marion said The Gathering Place (TGP) did not receive ongoing funding from the state or federal governments, apart from some funding dedicated towards an indigenous engagement program in schools.
She said the centre had relied on grants and the money it made from clients who visited the medical professionals at its Werribee clinic.
In March, The Gathering Place had applied for a grant from the federal Department of Health Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP).
Ms Marios said that a grant of about $2 million would have been enough to keep the centre going for another five years.
However, after the IAHP funding application was unsuccessful, it was decided that closure of The Gathering Place was the only option left.
“It’s going to leave a gap here in Aboriginal health in the west,” Ms Marion said.
The chief executive of Women’s Health West, Dr Robyn Gregory, said her organisation and The Gathering Place had worked together closely in recent years.
“I do think the loss of a specifically Aboriginal-controlled community service in the western region is a very significant loss for our community,” Dr Gregory said.
A manager from Odyssey House Victoria in Werribee, Victor Bilous, said the loss of The Gathering Place would leave a “breach” in health services in the west.
“It has been important for our service to be able to engage with the Aboriginal community and work with Colleen,” he said.
Associate Professor Frankie Merritt, the head of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health from the School of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame Australia, said that Aboriginal people trusted the services of Aboriginal organisations, which optimised health outcomes.
“The evidence shows that there are better health outcomes for clients treated in Aboriginal Community-Controlled Primary Health Care Services (ACCHSs) compared to them receiving treatment through mainstream services,” he said.
“One main reason Aboriginal people engaged with operations like TGP was its holistic approach and its commitment to culturally safe practice.
“This point, and the community engagement that defines the Gathering Place, is vital when considering the gap in health between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and the non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
“The closing of The Gathering Place due to lack of Government funding is problematic in this context.”
Federal Indigenous Health Minister Ken Wyatt said that the Health Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme received a large number of applications every year and that not all were successful.
