Foetal Alcohol, Indigenous Mental Health and Rheumatic Fever programs to air on June 6
April 24, 2007The Rural Health Education Foundation will broadcast three new, short programs dealing with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Indigenous Mental Health and Rheumatic Fever on Wednesday 6 June.
The three programs are:
- Drinking for Two? - 8.00pm, 26 minutes.
- Rheumatic Fever - 8.26pm, 6 minutes.
- Indigenous Mental Health: An Interview with Professor Ernest Hunter - 8.32pm, 16 minutes.
Drinking for Two?, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, poses the question: “Is it safe to drink at all when you’re pregnant?”
The program includes Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) cases studies to illustrate the issues for children, adults and Indigenous communities in particular.
The program is presented by Julie McCrossin (pictured), former Presenter of ABC Radio National’s Life Matters, with participants includng Professor Elizabeth Elliot (The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, NSW) and Ms Lorian Hayes (National Indigenous Australian Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Education Network).
Program 2
Rheumatic Fever, produced by the Menzies School of Health Research and sponsored by the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund, is a public awareness tool designed to educate young Aboriginal people about rheumatic fever, the risks to their health, and how to prevent them.
The message is delivered by high profile Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a manner that will resonate with young Indigenous Australians.
In Indigenous Mental Health: An Interview with Professor Ernest Hunter, Dr Norman Swan interviews Professor Ernest Hunter, who discusses the serious challenges facing Indigenous mental health in Australia.
While providing programs or services for specific mental health problems is important, Professor Hunter notes that it is critical to look into the key driving factors. Issues such as self-harm, violence, petrol-sniffing, and suicide can all be linked to an Indigenous community’s general welfare, largely determined by the community’s level of autonomy and political control.
Professor Ernest Hunter is a Regional Psychiatrist with Queensland Health, and has worked in mental health for the past two decades in remote Indigenous populations across northern Australia.
Viewing options
In addition to the initial airing on Wednesday 6 June, all three programs will be re-broadcast on the Foundation’s satellite network on Friday 8 June from 12.30pm (EST). See the broadcast timetable for details.
After the Wednesday broadcast, the programs can be experienced via online video webstreaming and audio podcasts.
The programs are also for sale on DVD and VHS video.