Welcome to the end of year edition of Polyglot for 2024. The NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) is excited to share information, events, and other opportunities to improve the health and wellbeing of culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

As we reflect on this year, we would like to extend our gratitude for all your support and collaboration in delivering important health information to culturally and linguistically diverse communities across NSW.

The MHCS Snapshot 2024 below outlines the key projects, campaigns, and milestones from our team this year. These accomplishments have been achieved through many partnerships, and we look forward to future collaborations 2025.

The MHCS team will be taking a break from Monday 23 December 2024, to Friday 10 January 2025.

We wish you and your families a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.

In November, MHCS, in partnership with the Prevention Education and Research Unit (PERU), was honoured to announce the 2024 winners of the Multicultural Family Lunchbox Challenge at an online award presentation. The judging panel reviewed many creative entries around healthy eating for families, and awarded the following videos:

1. Making our Lunches for School
2. Love your Lunch
3. Samoan Cultural Lunchbox
4. My Filipino Aussie Tucker (People's Choice Award)

"I enjoyed participating in the Multicultural Lunchbox challenge. I got a lot out of making the video, I have been inspired to try different Multicultural foods and will continue to inspire others. Thanks again for everything I loved being involved,"
- Award recipient.

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners. We encourage everyone to share the full video playlist with your networks and communities.

Regional Health Assistance for Families

The Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) is helping families like Coffs Harbour’s Ibrahim and Nori whose two youngest sons have nephrocalcinosis which requires them to travel to Sydney regularly for specialist eye and kidney treatment.

With help from the Mid North Coast Local Health District’s Refugee and Multicultural Health Service, the family can quickly and easily submit their IPTAAS applications after each trip.

“It’s a lot of help and it gives us a lot of relief,” said Nori, “If it wasn’t for the program we wouldn’t be able to go to Sydney that much.”

IPTAAS provides financial assistance to people from regional NSW to access specialist care, approved allied healthcare services and non-commercial clinical trials. To find translated resources and learn more about how IPTAAS can help your patients, visit the IPTAAS website or call your local team on 1800 478 227.

NSW Health Awards 2024 – Excellence in Multicultural Health Award

This year, the inaugural Excellence in Multicultural Healthcare Award recognised exceptional healthcare delivery for people from multicultural backgrounds through strong partnerships across NSW Health and external agencies.

In 2024, the Excellence in Multicultural Healthcare Award recipient was Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District - Virtual Health Interpreters. Video interpreting at Nepean Women and Children’s outpatients allows patients to participate confidently in their healthcare planning and make informed decisions.

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists of the 2024 NSW Health Awards.

Promoting Cancer Screening in Multicultural Communities

BreastScreen NSW is making it easier for women from multicultural communities to access vital breast cancer screening information, with translated pages now available in 27 languages.

To further support culturally and linguistically diverse communities, the Cancer Institute NSW (CINSW) has developed resources in over 45 languages. These materials, available in audio, video, and print formats, provide essential information about breast, bowel, and cervical cancer screening and prevention.

To support health services in their planning, CINSW has developed the “Multicultural Demographic Data Explorer” that provides valuable data about birthplace, ancestry and language spoken at home among multicultural communities. Additionally, service providers can access the latest data on cancer trends, including the most frequently spoken languages among people diagnosed with cancer from the Snapshot of Linguistically Diverse People with Cancer in NSW report.

Summer Safety – Resources in Community Languages 

Stay safe this summer. Hot weather can be dangerous, especially for babies, young children, people over 65 and those with existing health conditions. It is essential to keep yourself and your home cool. Find translated tips on how to beat the heat in key community languages.

Share translated information on how to prevent drowning when playing near water or swimming with parents and carers of children. In addition, find Chinese-Simplified resources about beach safety at the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service’s website. 

Prevent Whooping Cough – Multilingual Factsheets

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a serious respiratory infection. The disease spreads easily from person to person through droplets made when coughing, sneezing or talking.

This year, pertussis rates are increasing with NSW currently experiencing the highest rate in 15 years. Over 60% of cases in 2024 have been in school aged children, 5 to 16 years. Whooping cough vaccination provides the best protection against becoming sick. Ensure your child is up to date with their vaccinations. Share factsheets about whooping cough in key community languages.

Stay Informed – Mpox Awareness In Your Language

Anyone can catch mpox. People who are at highest risk of mpox are men who have sex with men. People with mpox may be infectious up to four days before symptoms start. Vaccination is important to protect people who are at risk. It is a safe and effective way to protect yourself and others against severe illness caused by the virus. The latest translated information on mpox can be found on the NSW Health website.

MyTest – Empowering Communities Around HIV Prevention

The MyTest project from promotes HIV testing and helps provide access to free HIV self-test kits. There are a range of MyTest posters, flyers and social media posts available to share and download in 11 languages at NSW Health’s MyTest website. In addition, access the updated, multilingual HIV: What You Need to Know booklet from Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (MHAHS).

30-31 January 2025: Global Conference on Migration and Health Equity. Western Sydney University’s Translational Health Research Institute invites scholars who are working at the interface between migration and health equity together. Register now.

28 February 2025: Core Concepts in Working with People from Refugee Backgrounds. This workshop hosted by STARTTS is designed to put a conceptual and practical framework around working with people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. Register now.

8 April 2025: 2025 DCJ Multicultural Community Engagement Conference. This conference hosted by The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) aims to support and build capacity across the public and private sectors when engaging with our multicultural communities. Register now.

NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service
Level 3, 349 Crown St. Surry Hills NSW 2010
Website: http://www.mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au/
Email: SESLHD-MHCSNEWS@health.nsw.gov.au

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