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Cairns

The National Breast Cancer Centre held Australia’s first national breast cancer training workshop for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) health workers on 26 May in Cairns. Over 60 ATSI health workers gathered from across Australia to learn skills to improve the care and outcomes of women with breast cancer in their communities.

The free training workshop provided the opportunity to discuss the potential barriers to early detection of breast cancer and access to effective treatment, which are having an impact on Indigenous women’s survival.

The workshop focused on the promotion of breast awareness and early detection within Indigenous communities. The workshop presentations were lively and interactive with specialists in Indigenous women’s health, screening, general practice and psychosocial care sharing their expertise in an extensive program.

The response to the workshop was overwhelmingly positive with many health workers expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to network with colleagues from across Australia. Attendees indicated they had learned invaluable information about breast cancer in Indigenous women, symptoms of breast cancer, clinical breast examination, treatments and supporting women with breast cancer.

The workshop closed with a discussion of possible future directions for breast cancer training and resources for Indigenous health workers. The report (pdf 168kb) about the outcomes of the workshop is available. For further information, contact Thea Kremser on 02 9036 3068 or thea.kremser@nbocc.org.au.