Largest global study by The George Institute shows the impact of india’s rural mental health program

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In the largest global study of its kind, The George Institute for Global Health has showed that a unique blend of digital healthcare and a community-based campaign can significantly reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and self-harm in rural India.

Study unhealthy food marketing to children

Submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Food Security

The George Institute welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Food Security. In responding to the Terms of Reference, we will focus on research we have conducted, or been involved in, that focuses on the issues of food and water security. While our research is not specific to Victoria, we believe the issues raised, and evidence presented, are highly relevant to the Inquiry.

In this submission, we have focused on the powerful relationships that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to food and food systems through connection to Country. We have drawn on a strengths-based approach to highlight the need for nutrition and food security reform, focused on the cultural determinants of health. We also highlight the work led by the Dharriwaa Elders Group in Walgett, NSW, to show the interconnectedness of water security and food security and priorities for successful community interventions to address these issues. Finally, we have presented our innovative research on "Food as Medicine" as an option to lower the cost of food and improve access to affordable nutritious food for those facing food insecurity.

The George Institute is also responding to the Australian Government's consultation on a National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities. We understand this Strategy will be a partnership with State and Territory governments and encourage the Committee to consider opportunities for this Inquiry to align with the National Strategy.

Recommendations

The George Institute recommends that the Legal and Social Issues Committee:

  • Adopt a strengths-based approach to understand the issues of nutrition and food security for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, recognising the intrinsic connection to culture for health and wellbeing;
  • Prioritise examples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination and leadership in nutrition and health when considering evidence;
  • Integrate water security as a component of food security throughout the Inquiry;
  • Ensure that recommendations are made on addressing food and water insecurity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are community-led strategies , and focus on the social and cultural determinants of health, and;
  • Consider an innovative role for the healthcare system to prescribe food as medicine, to lower the cost of food and improve access to affordable, nutritious food.

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Impacting Policy - 29/08/2024

National Strategy for Food Security

Submission to the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities

The George Institute welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Australian Government's consultation on the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities('The National Strategy'). We commend the Government for developing a National Strategy in response to Recommendation 10 of the 2020 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Indigenous Affairs Inquiry into food pricing and food security in remote Indigenous communities. In this submission we will draw on research we have conducted, or been involved in, that addresses the issues of food and water security in remote regional Australia.

Since 2019, The George Institute and a research team from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have been working with the community of Walgett in New South Wales, as part of the unique Yuwaya Ngaari-li (YN) partnership with the Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG)1. The partnership is collaborating on evidence-based research projects and building capacity to implement sustainable solutions to improve the health and well-being, and the social, built and physical environment of Aboriginal people in Walgett.

We draw on our own research and the work of this group in our submission to highlight the powerful relationships that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have to food and food systems through connection to Country. The work led by DEG and Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) in Walgett, NSW, shows the interconnectedness of water security and food security and priorities for successful community interventions to address these issues. Below we make recommendations that draw on a strengths-based approach to national food and water security reform, focused on the cultural determinants of health.

Recommendations

The George Institute recommends that the Australian Government:

  • Embeds a strengths-based approach into the National Strategy, which recognises the cultural determinants of health, to understand the issues of nutrition and food and water security for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  • Prioritises community involvement, in the development and implementation of the National Strategy, including shared planning, decision-making and evaluation by communities and governments.
  • Integrates and addresses water security, including the health of the rivers, as an integral component of food security throughout the National Strategy.
  • Adopts a systems approach to developing policy, recognising the links between food and water systems, the burden of non-communicable disease, climate change and equity; and establish multi-sectoral working groups at community level to bring together relevant stakeholders.
  • Ensure adequate funding and resources are provided to ensure local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations can be effectively engaged in both long-term planning and short-term crisis responses to food and water security.

More detail is needed on how the National Strategy will be implemented. The National Strategy does not adequately address the role of the Australian Government in leading and coordinating the policy, and the responsibilities of States, Territories and Local Governments in implementing jurisdictional responsibilities. Further, The George Institute recommends that the National Strategy includes formal mechanisms for communities to identify food-security priorities and establishes authority for community decision-making to ensure government accountability, respect and reciprocity, transparency and responsiveness.

 

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Impacting Policy - 28/08/2024

NHMRC grant post-sepsis models in Australia

The George Institute secures NHMRC grant to develop first post-sepsis models of care

Researchers at The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Sydney have secured grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to develop the first targeted, co-designed models of care following the life-threatening condition of sepsis in Australia. Currently, up to 70% of survivors return to hospital within one year of discharge.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. It can lead to shock, failure of multiple organs and death. Globally, sepsis affects 49 million people annually and causes 11 million deaths, making it the leading cause of death from infection around the world.

Chief investigator Associate Professor Naomi Hammond, who is Head of the Critical Care Program at The George Institute, Conjoint Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Sydney, and Executive Director of Research at North Sydney Local Health District, said an estimated 55,000 Australians experience sepsis each year with 18,000 adults ending up in intensive care.

“Leaving hospital does not mean you’ve left sepsis behind.  Adult survivors experience a reduced quality of life that can impact mobility, cause psychological problems and exacerbate pre-existing chronic conditions. They also face an increased risk of death in subsequent months and years,” she explained.

Sepsis survivor and 29-year-old mother of two from NSW, Korina Valentine, had not heard of sepsis prior to her 10 months in hospital involving a quadruple amputation.

“I had no understanding of what to expect on discharge, what to look out for, and who to seek help from,” she said. I was re-admitted to hospital many times over the next few years. My life could have been so much easier if there was a post-sepsis model of care and better support in place.”

For children, up to 40% experience serious consequences that affect their physical health, such as amputations, and cognitive impairment impacting their development and education.

“Currently, health services focus on the acute illness, despite the bleak legacy sepsis leaves. We want to change that by focusing on what happens once a person leaves hospital, so we can ultimately improve the long-term outcomes for all sepsis survivors,” said A/Prof Hammond.

“This program of work has been co-designed with the Sepsis Australia Consumer Partner and Advocacy Program and we’re all incredibly excited and appreciative of the NHMRC’s Partnership Project grant as it is our first significant grant dedicated to post-sepsis follow-up,” she added.

Almost A$1.5 million, plus matched funding from Partners over five years will enable A/Prof Hammond and her team to identify current gaps in health services, develop follow-up models of care and test strategies for adult and paediatric sepsis survivors and their families. This includes bereaved families of approximately 8,700 Australians whose lives are lost to sepsis each year.

“Surviving sepsis and leaving hospital is a big enough struggle. By partnering with Sepsis Australia, Clinical Excellence Queensland and the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare, we will be working to improve the person’s health service journey to reduce hospital readmissions and provide them with a higher quality of life,” concluded A/Prof Hammond.
 

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