Women’s Health Week series: Leaders from Johnson & Johnson and Children’s Ground unpack the pressing health inequities impacting First Nations women and girls

In celebrating Women’s Health Week (5 – 11 September), this interview in a series called Women, Equity and Health focusses on Australia’s First Nations women and girls who experience poorer health and reduced social and emotional wellbeing when compared to non-Indigenous Australians. These health inequities remain a pressing national concern.

Cherisse Buzzacott, Head of Health and Wellbeing at Children’s Ground and Kris Ashpole, Head of Global Community Impact and RAP Lead, J&J ANZ joined Health Industry Hub to discuss the key themes in health inequity impacting Australia’s First Nations women and girls.

They reflected on the role of pharma, medtech and biotech companies in championing the First Nations women’s voices in research, clinical care and healthcare delivery to develop culturally safe and community-based approaches.

According to a recent report by UTS, Diversity Council Australia and Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), First Nations women who are already underrepresented in the workforce, have significantly less support in culturally unsafe situations and have the highest cultural load. It is fair to say that these experiences impact the health and wellbeing of these women. Cherisse and Kris shared their perspectives on how organisations can recognise First Nations women’s unique experiences, and support and enable them as valued employees in the Australian workforce.

The 2022 Close the Gap Report: Transforming Power – Voices for Generational Change has put forward recommendations for large-scale transformation and systemic reform to improve outcomes for First Nations People. Cherisse and Kris explored the paradigm shifts that are necessary to elevate First Nations women’s voices to the levels of decision-making to form meaningful and effective policies and legislation for their communities.