Poster Presentation Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference 2016

Ted Dowling is a clinician, speaker and project manager from renowned chronic disease management program, Heart Health, at Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service, Perth, Western Australia. The program commenced in March 2009 and has just had its 7th anniversary. The team is constantly evaluating the program’s statistics looking at what works and what doesn’t and collaborating with Indigenous advisory committees and the community on goals, aims and outcomes. Interest from other organisations to emulate the program is always very high with many enquiries from professionals asking to visit the program to see it in action. Using the Sinek model for successful and inspirational leadership, The Golden Circle, Ted has improvised and elaborated the model to explain: why the program works and to strategise where it could go. The model’s three tiers, ‘Why’, ‘What’ and ‘How’ are modified with specific program themes:

1. Why–empowerment and autonomous choice for Indigenous Australians and returning of self-determination into Indigenous lives.
2. What–The YEES model: Yarning, Exercise, Education and monitoring vital Signs.
3. How–Knowledge, education Ted and his team explore:

• What the program is currently doing to empower clientele to manage their chronic conditions.
• How their stories and wisdom can empower and educate one another and the next generation toward prevention and/or early intervention.
• Improved health statistics.
• Identification of improvements within the service.
• Imperative of collaboration with the community and organisation. Ted’s candid stories and discussion centre around strong Indigenous advisory councils, breaking down organisations’ silo mentalities, maintaining interactive collaborative leadership and teamwork approaches to health intervention.