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Media Alert
Wednesday 13th October, 2010
Tackling risk of Diabetes in ethnic communities with Innovative Early intervention and
Prevention toolkit
Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health today launched a new program that will act as a toolkit for other
health and welfare service providers to target migrant and refugee women in their own fields.
Diabetes is at epidemic proportions in Australia, and the highest rates are shown in particular ethnic groups
such as those born in South East Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where hospitalisation rates are 10%
higher than among Australian born.
Executive Director of MCWH, Dr Adele Murdolo said that they would also be launching two reports that
confirm that early intervention and prevention are the best way to mitigate the problem of diabetes in our
community.
“The use of innovative techniques such as storytelling to increase early awareness and encourage healthy
lifestyle equips these communities with the skills to identify and avoid serious illness.
“Hopefully this template will gain greater traction, as it can be used by health and welfare service providers
around Australia to target ethnic communities, who sadly, because of language difficulties may miss out on
vital health information that others take for granted” said Dr Murdolo.
“The Diabetes Healthy Living Project has just gained additional funding from the Ian Potter Foundation,
which means we can extend the reach of this vital education tool and ensure that migrant and refugee
women are not missing out on the education they need to maintain their health and wellbeing, and the
health of their families.
“With such a high prevalence of diabetes diagnosis in ethnic communities, it is crucial that we get early
intervention and prevention messages out there effectively and as broadly as possible to combat the
diabetes epidemic we are seeing in this country.
“The narrative storytelling approach is an innovative and effective way of communicating these messages in
specific cultural contexts, it encourages creative engagement and a deeper level of understanding around
why and how a healthy lifestyle can help prevent diabetes,” said Dr Murdolo.
Media Opportunity
What: New Diabetes Healthy Living Program template to be used by other health and welfare service
providers.
Launch of The Diabetes Healthy Living Project report
Launch of Bilingual Health Educators Diabetes Project report
Who: Speakers include Executive Director of MCWH Dr Adele Murdolo; CEO of Ian Potter Foundation Janet
Hirst; and Maggie Millar from Prisoner will perform based on her experiences of Type 2 diabetes.
Where: Melbourne Town Hall Supper Room, cnr Swanston & Collins sts, Melbourne.
When: 10am, Wednesday 13th October 2010
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
MCWH spokesperson Dr Adele Murdolo: 0438 823 299 or Anaya Latter, Media: 0432 121 636
NEWS 
