Thursday 20 November 2025 | 10:25-12:25 

Format: Presentation

Stream: People 

Part One: Advancing Culturally Responsive Quality Care in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

This session will explore how Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service (BRAMS) has co-designed and embedded a culturally responsive Quality Care Framework within its primary health care, aged care, and NDIS services. BRAMS' approach integrates person-centered care, clinical governance, and community engagement to enhance health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At BRAMS, we have shifted from assuming what people want from us as a health care provider to actively responding and providing culturally responsive care through a person-centered model emphasising choice and control. Participants will gain insights into BRAMS' Model of Care, which prioritises cultural safety, community-controlled decision-making, and continuous quality improvement. We will share key strategies, challenges, and successes in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care while meeting accreditation standards and operational demands. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to implement culturally responsive care within their own healthcare settings.

Cassie Atchison Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service; Australia

Part Two: Culturally anchored in stormy sea

The metaphor of being “culturally anchored in stormy seas” is powerful—it evokes resilience, rootedness, and the challenge of navigating turbulent political and social currents. As right-wing movements gain traction globally, equity work—especially in Indigenous health and socioeconomic development—faces new constraints. But it also opens up space for innovation, solidarity, and reframing. We will discuss some strategies to continue advancing equity in this complex landscape.

Debbie Sorensen Pasifika Medical Association Group; Aotearoa New Zealand

Part Three: Providing High-Quality Remote Care in Rural Alaska: Lessons from a Fully Indigenous-Owned System

Southcentral Foundation (SCF) is an Alaska Native-owned health care system responsible for providing health care and related services to Alaska Native and American Indian people in Alaska’s Cook Inlet region. Some of these people (called “customer-owners” at SCF) live in rural areas, and some of these areas are so remote that they can only be reached by air. To provide services in these remote areas, SCF uses a combination of telehealth and provider trips to villages, and employs community health aides. Many of SCF’s rural clinics include teleradiology and telepharmacy capabilities. Also, SCF provides other services such as dental and behavioural services in many of the villages it serves. This session will cover the specifics of SCF’s rural health care offerings, how SCF has partnered with rural communities to improve the quality of care offered, and SCF’s successes and lessons learned in providing rural and remote health care.

Danny Griffis Southcentral Foundation; USA
Melissa Caswell Southcentral Foundation; USA