1 March, 2011
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC)* has released a new resource for health organisations and individual health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to promote breast cancer awareness through locally-run Well Women Workshops.
The Well Women Workshop Community Education Resource includes advice for the Well Women Workshop organiser, presenter notes, resources to organise and run the workshop, including NBOCC’s* Looking after your breasts – what every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman should know DVD, and other health promotion materials. The resource has been developed in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and Indigenous women to ensure the information is delivered in a culturally-appropriate manner.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience poorer rates of breast cancer survival than the Australian female population as a whole, with breast cancer currently the most common cancer diagnosed in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
“Poorer outcomes amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women may be partly attributed to the later detection of breast cancer and issues of compliance with treatment” said Dr Helen Zorbas, Chief Executive Officer, NBOCC*.
“The new Well Women Workshop Community Education Resource provides health organisations and health workers with the tools to inform Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in their local communities about the importance of early detection in surviving breast cancer and how to be proactive about breast health.”
NBOCC* has also announced grants to assist in running Well Women Workshops in local communities, with funding provided to a number of organisations to promote breast cancer awareness for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
For a full list of organisations awarded grants, or if you are interested in running a Well Women Workshop in your local community, visit www.nbocc.org.au/indigenous to download the Well Women Workshop Community Education Resource, or contact Emma Hanks (
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).
Media contacts
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre*: Michelle Lauder 02 9357 9401 or 0438 209 833