Last month a team from Jean Hailes for Women’s Health hit the ground on Arrernte Country in Alice Springs (Mparntwe), meeting with community and health professionals to raise awareness of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) among First Nations women.
Working in partnership with the Alukura Women’s Health Service (part of Central Australian Aboriginal Congress health services), this project aims to address the hormonal condition that affects up to one in six First Nations women.
The Jean Hailes team met with local women, health workers and practitioners to find out more about their health information and education needs. They also sought feedback on some draft health resources on PCOS.
In addition to raising awareness and creating culturally responsive PCOS resources, the community-led partnership project also hopes to support the health professionals’ abilities to diagnose and manage the condition in remote areas.
