Supporting recovery, healing and wellbeing with Aboriginal communities of the southeast coast of Australia: a practice-based study of an Aboriginal community-controlled health corganisation’s response to cumulative disasters

• Main Authors: Keevers, Lynne, Mackay, Maria, Cutmore, Sue-Anne, Falzon, Kristine, Finlay, Summer May, Lukey, Samantha, School of Health, orcid:0000-0001-7844-3539, Allan, Julaine, Degeling, Chris, Everingham, Ruth, Fox, Mim, Pai, Padmini, Olcon, Katarzyna
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural determinants of health; First Nations
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/56437

The recent crises of bushfires, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic on the southeast coast of Australia were unprecedented in their extent and intensity. Few studies have investigated responses to cumulative disasters in First Nations communities, despite acknowledgement that these crises disproportionately impact First Nations people. This study was conducted by a team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers in partnership with Waminda, South Coast Women's Health and Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.It investigated the collective experiences of people affected by cumulative disasters to identify the practices that support healing, and recovery for Aboriginal communities. The study addresses a knowledge gap of how Waminda, designs, manages and delivers responses to address complex health and social issues in the context of cumulative disasters.