Tanya Ellard – Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer Team Leader
Proud Bangerang woman Tanya Ellard has been assisting consumers since 2022.
Tanya is a friendly, familiar face who supports our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community by liaising with their healthcare team during their time with Eastern Health.
Tanya believes the Aboriginal Workforce Plan gives a clear view of the support and opportunities for growth Eastern Health will offer.
“It’s great knowing that Eastern Health are supportive of Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal Workforce Plan lets us know what is coming and how exciting it’s going to be. It helps us give back to the community and keeps Eastern Health accountable for what we need.”
Ebony Keenan – Associate Nurse Unit Manager/Registered Nurse
Proud Palawa woman Ebony Keenan gained early acceptance into the graduate program through the Indigenous Program in 2019 and is now focusing on her post graduate studies. As a Registered Nurse working in the mental health space, she understands how imperative her knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal culture and history is to informing her work.
“The knowledge of generational trauma is incredibly important because we have a lot of Indigenous consumers. When they come to see us, some of the staff don’t always understand the concept of generational trauma and why people behave the way they behave and the decisions that they make in their life. I think knowledge about that definitely helps in the area that I work in.”
Nicole McErlain – Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer
In 2022, proud Palawa woman Nicole McErlain joined Eastern Health to support Aboriginal consumers and their families as they engage with our health service. Nicole knows how beneficial it is for Aboriginal consumers to know they are among others who have a deep understanding of culture and community.
“As people, we need to be around each other, everything we do is not for the individual, it’s for the whole community. So to be removed from your Country and your family is scary. There’s a lot of trauma attached to what’s happened in the past, especially with institutions and hospitals. So when they see us and they know that there are other blackfellas around our consumers instantly feel more safe and comfortable.”
Caroline Dowling – Co-Director, Medical Student Programs
Caroline Dowling has been caring for the Eastern Health community since 2013. She was Head of Urology for six years, before moving on as Co-Director of Medical Student Programs. Having close to two decades of experience in healthcare, Caroline is aware of the many barriers Indigenous people face.
“It is important to have staff who are representative of all the cultural breadth in our community and our Indigenous culture is the first culture of this country and one that should be proudly seen and celebrated. In doing so, we provide a Culturally Safe space for the care of Indigenous Australians who have the worst health outcomes of any group and the improvement of these will only come through providing Culturally Safe care.”