Why a Network?
The cornerstones of MWHA's activities are communication, collaboration and coordination. Creating a program network gives MWHA a real way to put these values into practice and places immigrant and refugee women's health on the national agenda. A network will increase the likelihood of real, strategic and useful outcomes for women. Network members will be able to work together in a way which they have never before been able to.

• Opportunities for collaboration
• Coordination of programs nationally
• Sharing health promotion and advocacy strategies
• Developing resources and local knowledge
• Facilitating collaboration and referral

Our Network Members
We are working with a network of state and territory-based women's and/or multicultural health organisations, our members are:

• Australian Red Cross Migration Programs Tasmania
  The Australian Red Cross Migration Support Programs provide support to refugees, asylum seekers, immigration detainees and other people who are vulnerable as a result of migration. Services include: tracing and restoring family links, monitoring of immigration detention, asylum seeker assistance, and community assistance, addressing basic health and welfare of asylum seekers and refugees, and support for trafficked people.
  http://www.redcross.org.au
   
• Immigrant Women's Health Service (NSW)
  Immigrant Women's Health Service is a health organisation that strives to empower women and their families so that they can make choices which will enable them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives in a new country.
  
  IWHS conducts health information workshops covering such topics as preventative health care, body awareness, nutrition, stress management, HIV/AIDS, depression, contraception, parenting and domestic violence and also provides a free women's health clinic for breast checks, pap tests, continence assessments, pregnancy tests, advice on pregnancy, menopause, contraception, and other related women's health issues. The service provides counselling by bilingual psychologists and counsellors, legal advice for women by a female lawyer and therapeutic groups for cancer and DV survivors.
  Ph: 02 97264044 (Fairfield Centre) or 02 9721016 (Cabramatta Centre)
  http://www.immigrantwomenshealth.org.au
   
• Immigrant Women's Support Services (QLD)
  Immigrant Women's Support Services is a community-based organisation working with women of non-English speaking background, and their children, who are or have been in domestic violence situations and/or have experienced rape and/or sexual assault. IWSS provides culturally appropriate support, information, short-term counselling, and referral. The service employs bi-lingual / bi-cultural workers qualified in the social work/behavioural sciences field.
  http://www.iwss.org.au
   
• Ishar Multicultural Women's Health Centre (WA)
  Ishar Multicultural Women's Health Centre Inc. encourages the health and wellbeing of women of all ages and from all cultural backgrounds. It has a holistic philosophy grounded in the 'Social Model of Health' where the 'medical' condition of women seeking services is not separated from the real life interconnections of the personal, social, economic, racial, age and gender relationships they experience.
  
  Ishar's service delivery is flexible and responsive to the needs of the participating women who are provided with information, referral, counselling, training and/or support.
  http://www.ishar.org.au
   
• Melaleuca Refugee Centre (NT)
  The Melaleuca Refugee Centre is a community organisation that provides an environment for resettlement and healing of refugee survivors of torture and trauma, their families through confidential, high quality holistic services. Amongst other things, the centre provides ethical, client-focused services and referrals to refugee survivors, promotes community awareness for issues regarding refugees and provides culturally sensitive opportunities for client involvement in service development.
  http://www.melaleuca.org.au
   
• Migrant Health Service (SA)
  The Migrant Health Service (MHS) is a state funded primary-health care service which provides early intervention health care to newly-arrived refugees and asylum seekers in South Australia. Services include GP and nursing clinics, counselling services, women's health, immunisation, comprehensive health screening for new arrivals, health promotion, community education and support groups. The MHS offers free, confidential services using accredited interpreters for up to two years after arrival.
  Ph: 08 8237 3900 Email enquiries: Jan.Williams@health.sa.gov.au
   
• NSW Women's Health at Work Program
  NSW Health WHAW Program commenced in 2001 following an independent review of the NSW NGO Women's Health in Industry. The changing nature in the manufacturing industry in NSW was seen as a key driver to realign the funding and develop a more flexible model of service delivery to a broader group of employed CALD women in a rapidly changing employment market.
  http://www.dhi.gov.au (and follow the links to WHAW)
   
• Women's Centre for Health Matters (ACT)
  Women's Centre for Health Matters is a community-based organisation which works in the ACT and surrounding region to improve women's health and wellbeing. WCHM focuses on areas of possible disadvantage and uses research, community development and health promotion to provide women with access to reliable and broad ranging health-related information which allows informed choices to be made about each woman's own health and wellbeing. WCHM advocates to influence change in health-related services to ensure responsiveness to women's needs.
  http://www.wchm.org.au