Primary Health Care

Running head: PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
Primary health care
Name of the student:
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Author’s note

1PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
1.
The video by Rural Health Channel (2014, January 15) gave idea about a project
implemented for Kalumburu, an indigenous community in Western Australia, where community
support was taken as a platform to promote health and development of children and heal the
community from the negative effects of sexual assault. The condition in which people live, work
and grow combine together to influence health of individuals and communities. These are known
as social determinants of health. The Healing Circle project is informed by two social
determinants of health. The first determinants include social relationship or level of support
available from families, friends and communities to achieve better health outcomes (). Umberson
and Karas Montez (2010) gives the evidence that social relationship and health are interrelated to
each other because quality and type of social networks surrounding an individual determines
development and progression of disease of disease. Poor quality of social ties and support is
associated with adverse health outcome. Hence, informed by this impact of social network on
health, the Healing circle project focussed on supporting young men at Kalumburu, who were
arrested on charges on child sexual assault by creating a social network where they could tell
their stories and get adequate support to deal with trauma.
Another social determinant of health that is crucial for health and well-being includes
education. Education provides people the ability to comprehend and understand complex factors
that is linked to health. Hahn and Truman (2015) argues that education supports a person to use
his or her mind for learning, reasoning and problem solving. This enhances their mental strength
and capability to deal with health issues and other life stressor affecting health. Informed by the
benefits of education on positive health outcomes for an individual, the need for the project was
found after it was found that the young men at Kalumburu has been traumatized by their life

2PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
experiences and they were adapting negative coping styles like use of drugs and alcohol to deal
with life problems. Hence, the project aimed to provide the disadvantaged community an
opportunity to deal with interact with social support staffs and adapt positive coping strategies to
develop resilience and positive coping strategies to promote physical and mental health.
2.
The Healing circle project is guided by the two primary health care principles of community
participation and health promotion. Community participation involves use of appropriate
community resources to address health problems and coming together of important members of
the community to develop useful health agendas for the vulnerable population group. Rifkin
(2014) defines that community participation is dependent on skills like listening skills, ability to
empathize and response, mediate and advocate for the safety of the community. Similar types of
concept and skills was also utilized by the Gnibi community members. This concept was also
used by the professor of the Gnibi College when the members of the Gnibi community contacted
her for health. Judy and her team arranged series of workshops for the Kalumburu community
and they developed agenda to restore the community. The members prioritized fostering care and
support for everyone in the community particularly children. The plan of creating a healing circle
or a space, where vulnerable people could come and speak is related to community participation
concept as this project was developed with the action of community members. Hence, such form
of active participation is likely to enhance health outcome and reduce risk for children.
Health promotion involves supporting target population group to achieve better health
outcomes informed by strengthening socioeconomic conditions of an individual like shelter,
food, income, social justice and equity. This principle is implemented by addressing the social