Ear Health Coordination Program

Overview

The Ear Health Coordination Program grant opportunity aims to enhance the monitoring and treatment of ear and hearing health in primary care.  A particular focus is to support access to quality, culturally safe ear and hearing health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth before they commence primary school. The Ear Health Coordination Program is funded through the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme.  The grant will operate over three years from 2019-20 to 2021-22.  This grant opportunity will support Ear Health Coordinator positions.  The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are that primary health care clinics are supported to: Implement processes designed to ensure regular ear and hearing health screening and timely treatment (including any follow-up treatment required) and ongoing monitoring is provided; a continuous quality improvement approach to strategies to identify, screen, treat and follow-up Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at risk of (or experiencing) otitis media and related hearing loss, particularly before entering primary school; health care professionals are made aware of opportunities to enhance skills to undertake ear health assessment and management in children; and improve collection of clinical data on the prevalence of otitis media and treatment provided.