Multicultural Health Week 2018

Multicultural Health Week (MHW) promotes best practice in health care and communication with people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The theme for MHW 2018 was health literacy. Activities at a state-wide and Local Health District level targeted health professionals and consumers. The aim of this year’s MHW was to raise health worker’s awareness of the importance of health literacy when working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Key messages for MHW 2018 were:

• Talk to consumers and check if they need an interpreter.
• Listen and respond actively to consumers.
• Ask consumers about their understanding of the health information delivered
• For better health outcomes through effective communication

The MHW was launched on Monday 3 September 2018 at Liverpool Hospital. Over 140 health professionals and community members attended the event. Seventeen events were held in Local Health Districts during MHW with over 700 participants. Events included a range of professional development/education sessions for health professionals and a range of community engagement/health education sessions for consumers.