Just months after an unexpected hearing loss diagnosis, two-year-old Landon pointed up with amazement to a plane in the sky. For the first time he could not only see the plane but hear it too.
Since he was little, Landon has suffered from recurring ear infections – a common problem disproportionately affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Landon was referred for a priority diagnostic hearing assessment, which revealed he was experiencing partial hearing loss. Further consultation also determined he would need Grommets.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, a diagnosis such as this can significantly impact development and overall health when healthcare is not accessed in a timely manner. This is where HEALS comes in.
HEALS (Hearing EAr health Language and Speech services) is an NSW Health initiative aimed at providing ENT and speech-language pathology services for Aboriginal and Torres Straight children.
The program is led by our Network in collaboration with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS), with support from Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, and helps families circumvent barriers in access to care such as distance, waiting lists and other financial considerations, in order to improve healthcare outcomes.
For Landon’s mother, Jayla, the help HEALS provided was invaluable.
“I remember getting an unexpected call from RivMed (The Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation), they had received the letter for Landon from the ENT and were coordinating the HEALS program,” Jayla said.
“We found out they could assist in getting Landon’s surgery organised and fully funded, with a wait time of only three weeks.”
“I’d become anxious about delays to his learning and speech development after receiving a diagnosis that we’d never expected, so this was a huge weight off my shoulders.”
The HEALS program supported Landon and his family in coordinating admission papers and requirements and offering transport to and from the hospital in preparation for his surgery.
“We couldn’t be any happier with the service we received and the support of the HEALS program and RivMed. It is difficult to navigate this all by yourself, but having all the organisation taken care of for our family took the stress and running around away from me.”
The best part of all what the difference it made to Landon’s hearing.
“When his follow up appointment eight weeks post-surgery showed that Landon no longer had any hearing loss at all, we were flooded with emotions and filled with relief,” Jayla said.
“It was incredible to see the transformation in Landon. He was extremely excited hearing a plane for the first time, and we have seen a huge difference in the consistency of his sleep.”
“Now five months post-surgery, Landon’s childcare educators say his speech has come in leaps and bounds.”
Telphia Joseph is a Wajarri Yamatji woman from Western Australia and is the Project Manager of the HEALS program at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (CHW).
Telphia says the targeted nature of the program and the ACCHS community model has increased the number of Aboriginal children accessing assessments and treatment in a timely manner, as well as establishing community trust and satisfaction in the program.
“The ACCHS model works really well. It’s the absolute epitome of self-determination; a community service providing a health service for the community,” Telphia said.
“Most importantly, it’s increasing the number of Aboriginal children like Landon accessing hearing assessments and treatment. This not only helps their hearing but their overall health and ability to learn, so they can play sport, interact with families and be part of their communities and culture.”
Improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is of critical importance and programs like HEALS are essential to achieve health equality.
“Programs like HEALS are sparking conversations in communities on country that there are systems and processes in place that benefit Aboriginal communities, and that things are changing. It’s a great point for people to come together and get the right care,” Telphia said.
Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network respectfully acknowledges Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which our health facilities are located and the areas from which our patients are spiritually connected to.
We pay our respects to the Elders, community members, our Aboriginal staff and the Aboriginal services and organisations who work closely with us to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people.