Darling Downs Health, Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council and other stakeholders have been working on the Healthy Skin Healthy Heart program. This program started in March this year.
This program raises awareness of skin conditions and concerns about acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in the South Burnett.
The program offers:
- Skin checks
- Heart scans for 5- to 20-year-olds
- Treatment
- Health promotion
- Environmental health support
- In-home care
- Community awareness events and incentives.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers have taken the lead in community care and engagement on this program.
By providing resources and information the community can understand how skin health affects heart health. This information shows the simple steps people can take to prevent rheumatic heart disease.
Darling Downs Public Health Unit, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health team and health professionals from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Toowoomba are working together on this program. Since March the team have done 1,255 skin checks and 300 echocardiogram screenings for rheumatic heart disease in the South Burnett region.
We encourage anyone with a skin infection or sore throat to see a doctor or health worker as soon as possible.
Resources can be downloaded below.
- FAQ: Acute rheumatic fever [PDF, 321 KB]
- FAQ: Rheumatic heart disease [PDF, 316 KB]
- FAQ: Scabies medication [PDF, 564 KB]
- FAQ: Rheumatic heart disease screening [PDF, 348 KB]
- FAQ: Removing scabies from your house [PDF, 319 KB]
- FAQ: Scabies [PDF, 295 KB]
- Scabies pictorial explainer [PDF, 452 KB]
- 6 steps to clearing scabies [PDF, 295 KB]
- What Is rheumatic heart disease? [PDF, 354 KB]
- What is acute rheumatic fever? [PDF, 368 KB]
- Supporting mob with RHD [PDF, 426 KB]
For more information you can call the Darling Downs Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health team on 07 4699 8032.