The escalation of COVID-19 among Indigenous communities in Dubbo and the Western region is of grave concern among health authorities and the state's leaders.
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The Western NSW LHD director of Aboriginal health and wellbeing Brendon Cutmore has reached out with a direct, personal message about the support services available.
"Through any crisis, normally our community response...is that we gather together, and we share our resources and we normally take care of each other in the way of pulling everybody together...but right now we've got to do this in a very different way," Mr Cutmore said.
"Don't go down to Nan and Pop's house, or to Aunty and Uncle's house, to drop anything off to people, or to check in - use the phone, send a text, and if you're really worried, contact us and we'll ensure the support services reach out to help your family.
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"Right now the way that we stop this spread, is that we stay in our own houses."
Of particular concern is the number of cases involving children, and Mr Cutmore implored the community to keep their children at home for their own protection.
"At the moment, some of the spread is amongst our children in the community and we need to protect our children as much as we need to protect our elders."
Support services available through the Western NSW LHD include an Aboriginal Cultural Support Team, which is assisting people with COVID-19 recovering at home, as well as close contacts. They can drop off food and medical resources, conduct welfare checks and can offer emotional and wellbeing support for anyone doing it tough.
"Please don't be too proud in terms of reaching out and asking for help at the moment," Mr Cutmore said. "If you're just struggling and you want some help and you need someone to have a conversation with, we've got some specialist people here that can help you."
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