A new partnership between the Earbus Foundation and Alcoa will increase vital ear checks on at-risk children

A new three-year partnership between the Earbus Foundation and Alcoa will allow vital ear health checks to take place on more at-risk children in the South West and Peel regions. A smoking ceremony was held at Carcoola Primary School last Monday to celebrate the expansion of the Earbus program, which will now include 30 more schools across Waroona, Harvey and Australind. The scheme, which targets Aboriginal youngsters, provides quick and easy screening, surveillance and treatment for middle ear disease, which affects Aboriginal children for 32 months of the first five years of their lives on average, compared with just three months for non-Indigenous students. Earbus is run at about 120 sites across WA, including the metropolitan area and the Pilbara, Kimberley and Goldfields regions, with more schools expected to be covered in the future. The bus, which is operated by a team of health professionals, reached more than 13,000 children last year and is fitted out with advanced equipment to perform the checks. Earbus Foundation WA chief executive Paul Higginbotham said infections occurred among Aboriginal children at a far higher rate than non-Indigenous children and could have a serious effect on their ability to learn. Alcoa Australia corporate affairs director Jodie Read said the program marked the next phase of the company’s partnership with Earbus, after it initially came on board to support the delivery of its South West services in 2018. “Through the Alcoa Earbus Program we hope to play a small role in supporting the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and at-risk children in the communities where we operate,” she said. EFWA workers are required to complete a six-part cultural orientation training to ensure cultural safety in its services.