As an Aboriginal Health Worker for Community Health Care in Primary Care and Community Health, Kaysan Penning goes beyond the typical duties of her role, serving as a guide and passionate advocate for her fellow First Nations peoples in the Lithgow and Blue Mountains areas.
Kaysan Penning, Aboriginal Health Worker
Kaysan works directly with community services to keep Aboriginal community members out of hospital when they don’t need to be, linking hospital-based and community services.
Working to empower her community members, Kaysan helps build their confidence to have meaningful conversations with their health professionals.
Having a yarn with her Aboriginal community members and steering them towards the right area and level of care is her focus every day, providing not just medical advice but cultural understanding.
“Making sure they’re well equipped and that they are advocating for their own health is really important,” says Kaysan.
Kaysan’s role involves more than just connecting her community with healthcare services; it’s about addressing the gaps and barriers that exist within the system.
Last year, Kaysan was recognised for her positive work and dedication to her community, winning the Aboriginal Employee of the Year Award in the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District’s inaugural Together Awards.
“I felt really honoured, and grateful to have people around me acknowledge the importance in the work I do,” says Kaysan.
When asked what she loves most about her job, “How long do we have?” she laughs.
“One thing I love about my job is working with the community and empowering them in decision making and taking ownership of their health. And really supporting clinicians to understand that a difficult client may just feel misunderstood, scared or may need a different approach when communicating with them,” says Kaysan.
Kaysan’s vision for her community is clear.
“We want to enable our community, not disable them, to work with our government and non-government agencies and health care systems to make sure that they have the confidence to have conversations about their health and wellbeing.”
As she looks to the future, Kaysan remains steadfast in her mission to improve Aboriginal health and wellbeing. Continuing to inspire and demonstrate the power of cultural understanding and community engagement in health care.
