Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Cammunity Services is an Aboriginal community controlled primary health care service operated by the Aboriginal community of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

 

Winnunga has a Board of 6 Aboriginal people elected by the community. Winnunga sees around 3,000 clients per year, with a growth rate of about 80 new patients per month. Winnunga’s primary purpose is to provide culturally safe and holistic health services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the ACT and surrounding areas.

Winnunga offers a range of clinical services and programs including:

 

  • General Practitioners
  • Practice Nurses
  • Aboriginal Health Workers
  • Social and emotional health services – social and emotional wellbeing, substance misuse counselling, Bringing Them Home counselling, child and adolescent mental health health support, carer support, a needle syringe program, transport service, a home maintenance program, Youth diversion program, tobacco cessation services, healthy lifestyle advice and support, and exercise programs.
  • Dental services
  • Otitis Media Program and audiologist
  • Aboriginal Midwifery Access Program
  • Chronic Disease and the Patient Incentive Program
  • Outreach for Aboriginal people in custody (Bimberi Youth Justice Centre and the Alexander Maconochie Centre);
  • Allied Health Services – Podiatrist, Dietician, Psychiatrists, and Physiotherapist
  • Medical Student Education Program – ANU and The Canberra Hospital

Winnunga also offers a range of regular programs such as:

 

  • No More Bundah – Tobbaco Cessation Group
  • Diabetes Group
  • Healthy Weight Program
  • Mothers’ and babies’ Group
  • Pregnancy Group
  • Women’s Group
  • Men’s Group
  • Elders’ Group

In addition, Winnunga runs a range of health promotion campaigns and community activities. Winnunga is regularly involved in research projects, and public health initiatives. Winnunga is strongly supportive of workforce capacity building, and is commited to implementing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce National Strategic Framework 2002-2012. We are an Accredited Training facility, training medical students from the Australian National University, Resident Medical Officers from The Canberra Hospital and General Practice Registrars.

Winnunga has been the recipient of a number of awards, including the inaugural National Excellence Awards in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health Outcomes – Winnunga Youth Diversion Program (2007), the 2007 Limelight Award for Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education Leading Innovation in Community Engagement from the Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand, and finalist for the 2004 Deadly Awards in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.

We operate a system in which any person can walk into the clinic at any time during opening hours and be seen by the next available doctor. Appointments are required for some services such as dental, physiotherapy and psychiatry.

We are a bulk billing service. No one will be charged for any health service they receive at Winnunga Nimmityjah AHS.