Effective Aboriginal community involvement in health planning : a case study

The Healthy for Life program provides funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to address health and wellbeing issues in an interconnected and holistic way, in an integrated primary health care model that uses the best evidence and the ability to adapt initiatives to fit the local context. The aim of the Healthy for Life planning process is to produce a community owned plan for integrated and preventative health care to improve the long term health outcomes for Indigenous people. This paper describes the development of a Healthy for Life program for the Wakefield area of South Australia. It examines the developmental processes involved in obtaining community input into the project, including gaining understanding of the Aboriginal community, establishing partnerships for planning, gathering information, and ensuring that it is an Aboriginal controlled process. The paper includes a discussion of the implications for policy and practice.