Independent reviewers have written positive critiques of this program.  Click to read the reviews.

A strong start to life lays the foundation for a healthy future.  Embedded health problems, poorer access to health care, and socio-economic disadvantage can lead to poor outcomes for Aboriginal mothers and babies.

Some of the enormous health and well-being problems faced by Aboriginal communities are being successfully ameliorated by the communities themselves through participative and community-based initiatives.

This program offers models and ideas for communities on what can work for them in the area of Aboriginal maternal and infant care, and how some communities are managing these problems.

It is a new 26-minute version of the hour-long Aboriginal Infant and Maternal Care program originally produced by the Rural Health Education Foundation in 2005.

The focus of the new program is on clear models for community development, as compared to the earlier program which focused on health professional education.

It highlights initiatives of the Strong Women, Strong Babies, Strong Culture Program; Daruk Aboriginal Medical Services; Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women's Council Nutrition Program, Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (TAIHS) and Alukura Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Inc.

These initiatives successfully address the need for good antenatal and infant care and acknowledge the culture and preferences of the mother and her family.

At the end of this program viewers will be able to:

• Increase understanding of the complex health issues facing Aboriginal mothers and babies.
• Identify community based strategies to broaden the knowledge and skills of Aboriginal mothers in a culturally appropriate way.
• Understand the need for perinatal services which Aboriginal women can relate to, and the importance of an environment where mothers feel comfortable and safe.
• Identify ways to engage communities and other health professionals in collaborative health programs for Aboriginal Women and their babies.

- Presenter: Ms Karla Grant, Presenter of the Living Black program on SBS Television.
- Dr Ngiare Brown, Assistant Director, Indigenous Health, Menzies School of Health Research NT.
- Ms Melissa Thompson, Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women's Council Nutrition Program.
- Ms Michele Robinson, NPY Women's Council Nutrition Program.
- Dr Kate Panaretto, General Practitioner, Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service (TAIHS), Townsville QLD.
- Ms Melvina Mitchell, TAIHS, Townsville QLD.
- Ms Lynette Hussey, TAIHS, Townsville QLD.
- Ms Rachael Atkinson, TAIHS, Townsville QLD.
- Dr John Boffa, Public Health Officer, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Inc., Alice Springs NT.
- Ms Patricia Harvey, Midwife, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Inc., Alice Springs NT.
- Dr Wendy Thornthwaite, Daruk Aboriginal Medical Services NSW.
- Ms Carol Schuil, Midwife, Daruk Aboriginal Medical Services NSW.
- Ms Elaine Gordon, Daruk Aboriginal Medical Services NSW.
- Click here for more details about the presenter.

26 minutes.

The program was first broadcast on 30 May 2006 and was repeated on 2 June 2006.

This program is accredited for CPD/CPE by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, the Royal College of Nursing Australia and the Australian Physiotherapy Association.  RACGP General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration points have been applied for, and will be confirmed soon.  Click here to evaluate this program and earn professional development points.

Go to our acknowledgements page for details of organisations and individuals who have contributed to this program.

This program was funded by an untied educational grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd in support of better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Additional funding was provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and the Ian Potter Foundation.

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- 807 Across the Lifespan: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Checks and Lifescripts
- 710 Indigenous Mental Health: An Interview with Professor Ernest Hunter
- 709 Rheumatic Fever
- 708 Drinking for Two?
- 702 Alcohol Treatment Guidelines for Indigenous Australians
- 614 Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
- 609 Postnatal Depression
- 607b Grow Strong
- 606 Keep Safe
- 509a Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Care
- 509b Growing Healthy Aboriginal Kids - The Early Years: 1-5
- 506 Injury Prevention in Aboriginal Communities
- 407 Palliative Care for Indigenous People
- 404 Aboriginal Health Workers and Chronic Disease Management
- 316 Breathing Easy: Respiratory Disease in Indigenous Children
- 313 Overcoming Barriers to Screening of Cervical and Breast Cancer in Indigenous Women
- 312 Breastfeeding: The Facts, the Issues, the Benefits
- 305 Talking Together - Contemporary Issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: HIV, Hepatitis and Sexual Health
- 302a Nursing Series: Obstetrics and Midwifery pt 1 & 2 (Remote Area Maternity Emergencies for Non-Midwives 1 & 2)
- 302b Nursing Series: Obstetrics and Midwifery pt 3 & 4 (Neonatal Resuscitation & Well Women's Check)
- 205 Indigenous Child Health
- 107 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Childhood Immunisation