Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing Hub (The Hub) is located RAH, next to the main entrance on Level 3 (ground floor).

Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.

The Hub works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients across Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) sites including:

• The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH)
• The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH)
• Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre
• Repat Health Precinct.

The Hub is staffed by a team that includes Aboriginal Health Practitioners, who work to raise awareness and advocate on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients to assist in providing culturally appropriate services, to achieve good health outcomes.

Ask your clinical team to contact The Hub to get assistance from an Aboriginal Health Practitioner.

The Hub is here to offer a welcoming and peaceful environment for our patients and visitors from diverse Aboriginal backgrounds and rural locations. 

The Hub can connect patients and families to home and the wider community through computer access, telephones, tea and coffee, and referrals to community services. 

There is also a dedicated garden on-site featuring Aboriginal artwork and native plants that promote healing and connection to culture and country.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner can help by:

• connecting with patients who are often far from home
• developing a cultural care plan referring to a range of service providers
• using a range of culturally appropriate resources and language to ensure that clients understand why they are in hospital and their options for treatment
• taking time to talk about health risk factors, educate and refer to Aboriginal support services
• understanding the cultural, environmental and social determinants of health
• linking patients and staff with Aboriginal language interpreters
• advocating for patients to make sure their voices are heard
• helping the patient to contact family and community
• supporting patient escorts and family and including them in the decision-making
• connecting with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners in emergency, renal and cancer to provide holistic education across the patient journey
• liaising with local Aboriginal health services about ongoing care post-discharge
• assisting with complex discharge care plans for rural and remote areas
• arranging for Traditional Healers and Ngangkari when available
• linking patients with services such as Closing the Gap service providers, NDIS, Relationships SA, and other services as requested.

These facilities provide short-term culturally appropriate and affordable accommodation for Aboriginal people who need to be away from home to access life-changing education, employment, health and other services.

CALHN is committed to improving the health outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of South Australia.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience poorer health and greater exposure to risk factors than other South Australians and CALHN is working to address this inequality by ensuring its services respond to the health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

CALHN strives to build genuine relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers, staff and volunteers feel welcome and respected, have opportunities for meaningful consultation, and improved access to culturally inclusive and responsive health care services.