As part of the three-year grant from the Commonwealth Department of Health, Lung Foundation Australia will deliver additional resources and one-on-one support for Australians living with, or at risk of, dust-related diseases such as silicosis.
The Prioritise Improved Care for People with Dust Related Diseases Initiatives Grant will fund a range of services, including telephone-based social work and nurse services, as well as peer support groups, for people living with silicosis and their families and carers.
The grant will allow efforts to target prevention, with a yearly National Silicosis Prevention and Awareness Campaign to increase worker knowledge of the risks of working with silica-containing materials. With 584,050 Australian workers currently exposed to silica dust in the workplace, this campaign will further educate workers on how to protect their lung health while in high-risk industries.
The Healthy Lungs at Work Quiz, which assesses workers’ risk factors will be updated and translated into 6 languages to reach Culturally and Linguistically Diverse at-risk workers.
Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said this funding will provide support to an ever-growing group of Australians who, up until now, have had limited places to turn.
“We know that cases of dust-related diseases will continue to climb in the coming years. Recent research has predicted between 83,090 and 103,860 silicosis cases are expected to result from current occupational exposure so it’s positive to see that these people will have dedicated support to help them in their time of need,” Mr Brooke said.
“Many diagnosed with silicosis are relatively young and of working age so it’s important that these services are made available to workers and their families to help alleviate the emotional and financial stresses that come with such a life-changing diagnosis.”
The grant will also fund the development of a Silicosis Care Management Plan to allow people living with silicosis to better manage their condition in conjunction with their healthcare provider.
The next three years will also see an established mechanism to identify priority areas of research in occupational lung disease prevention, detection, treatment and survivorship to ensure funding is targeted and better coordinated.
As part of the grant, a National Rapid Response Protocol will be developed to enable the identification of, and response to, emerging occupational respiratory risks and hazards in the workplace. This will allow the Government to identify future risks to avoid a crisis such as this ever occurring in the future.
To learn more about occupational lung diseases, visit our dedicated webpage.
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