The Koorie Men’s Health Day- A community mental health service model for Aboriginal men in rural Victoria

Background: Aboriginal men like their non-Aboriginal counterparts do not access health care until they are in a crisis. Literature from other parts of Australia suggested several reasons such as difficulties in communication as well as cultural and gender barriers. However, the situation among Aboriginal men in rural Victoria was not known.
Aim: To design and implement a community based, collaborative, culturally accepted, service model for the early identification of mental and physical illness among Koori men in rural Victoria, Australia
Methods: The process started with preliminary research aimed at identifying barriers to seeking help and accessing services particularly for mental health problems. Based on the findings of this research, a model of primary mental health service was developed by a group consisting of an academic, a mental health nurse, and three local Aboriginal Elders. Once the model was implemented, the Aboriginal community took over the organization of the service model.
Results: More than 50 Aboriginal men have attended at least one of the Koorie Men’s Health Days with more and more men showing interest in the service. Seven of the 17 men screened in the first event scored moderate to high on the K-10 Scale. Of them 3 consented to be followed up by Mental Health services and 2 chose to be followed up by their GP. The event has been conducted four times in different parts of Gippsland.
Conclusion: The Koorie Men’s Health Day is an innovative model of a primary mental health service for Aboriginal men which could be translated to other settings.