National RACGP and NACCHO program brings clinicians and community
Orange will host the midpoint event in a national program aimed at improving preventive healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with clinicians and community representatives meeting on Friday, 18 September 2026.
The workshop is part of a 13-stop face-to-face series run through a partnership between the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and the Royal Australian College of GPs.
General practice staff, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation workers and local community representatives are expected at The Remington in Orange. The program runs from 8:30am to 4:00pm.
Organisers say the sessions are designed to help services put the National Guide to preventive healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into day-to-day practice.
That guide was developed through collaboration between NACCHO, the RACGP and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health experts from around the country. It is used as an evidence-based resource for culturally safe preventive care.
Guide adds racism and climate chapters
The guide gives practical advice across 21 health topics. These include child health, preconception and pregnancy care, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and cancer prevention.
Its latest edition also adds chapters on the health impacts of racism and climate change, two issues the organisations say are acutely affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said preventive care plays an important part in improving health outcomes and cutting avoidable illness.
He said the guide helps GPs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners, and wider healthcare teams deliver “culturally safe, high-quality preventive care”.
Wright also said bringing health professionals together to share knowledge would help communities around Australia benefit from current evidence and best practice.
Meanwhile, RACGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health chair Dr Karen Nicholls pointed to the partnership model behind the workshop series. She said the program shows the value of community-led approaches to healthcare.
Nicholls said the National Guide supports services to provide prevention and early intervention that is responsive to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She said the workshops are also helping strengthen the health workforce and improve access to care.
Media opportunities at the Orange event include interviews with RACGP and NACCHO representatives, along with photography and vision of workshop sessions.
