What is a clearinghouse?
Overview of the Diversity Health Institute Clearinghouse
Why was the DHI Clearinghouse established?
Who funds the DHI Clearinghouse?
What organisations are involved in the DHI Clearinghouse?
Who are the DHI Clearinghouse staff?
What information is included in the DHI Clearinghouse?
Is indigenous health covered?
On what basis is material selected for inclusion?
Is international material listed?
How should material be submitted?
How is the information kept up-to-date?

What is a clearinghouse?
A clearinghouse is a central access point for information on a given topic, designed to make that information more accessible - users become able to quickly identify what they need, and are shown how to access it. By identifying, describing and evaluating information, a clearinghouse helps to minimise duplication of effort.

Overview of the Diversity Health Institute Clearinghouse
The Diversity Health Institute Clearinghouse is a central access point for information on multicultural health in Australia. Its aim is to bring together the myriad of work conducted in the area nationally.

Cultural competence, refugee health, nutrition, sexual health, drugs and alcohol, mental health, ageing, and disability are just some the issues encompassed by the Clearinghouse's brief. Priority listing is given to information that is relevant to a wide range of people, is publicly accessible, and produced by reputable organisations or individuals.

The Clearinghouse is not a lending service. Rather, it is a focal point directing users to where they can access the information or service they need.

As an information gateway, the DHI Clearinghouse helps minimise duplication of effort. Consumers, researchers, and healthcare providers alike no longer have to look in a multitude of places to find information on multicultural health.

Why was the DHI Clearinghouse established?
The decision to establish a national clearinghouse on multicultural health grew out of the Diversity Health Institute Planning Day in July 2003. Numerous stakeholders in attendance identified the need to centralise multicultural health information, and the newly established DHI was proposed as the appropriate vehicle for such an initiative. The Clearinghouse was officially launched by the NSW Minister for Health on 25 July 2005, to mark the start of Multicultural Health Week (see pictures of the launch)

Who funds the DHI Clearinghouse?
The DHI Clearinghouse has been granted recurrent funding from the NSW Government for four years.

What organisations are involved in the DHI Clearinghouse?
The DHI Clearinghouse is one of the services within the Diversity Health Institute, which aims to promote optimal quality healthcare for Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse population. The Diversity Health Institute consists of a number of existing and newly created national and statewide services. These organisations are:

(Click on organisation to find out more)
Multicultural Mental Health Australia
Multicultural Problem Gambling Service
NSW Education Program on Female Genital Mutilation
Sydney West Area Health Service Multicultural Health Unit
Transcultural Mental Health Centre
Women's Health at Work
Global Health Institute

Who are the DHI Clearinghouse staff?

Manager
Joanne Corcoran
Responsible for the development, coordination and maintenance of the Clearinghouse.

Information Officers
Lisa McEwan
Katherine Ingham

Publications and Promotions Officer
Monique Wakefield

Website Coordinator
Michelle Sarkis
Responsible for the development and maintenance of the Transcultural Mental Health Centre and DHI websites.

What information is included in the DHI Clearinghouse?
The Clearinghouse brief covers all resources, services and activities geared toward the provision of healthcare that is sensitive to the social, cultural, linguistic, and religious values and practices of Australia's diverse population.

Our understanding of 'health' is broad, corresponding with that espoused by the World Health Organisation:

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

As such, the topics that lie within the Clearinghouse's scope are wide-ranging, and include such things as domestic violence, ageing, social and clinical research, genetics, mental health, child care, counselling, migration and settlement, ethnopharmacology, and more.

Is indigenous health covered?
No. Indigenous health is an area distinct from multicultural health. For online health information relating to Australia's indigenous communities, go to Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet at http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au.

On what basis is material selected for inclusion?
The Clearinghouse gives priority to listing resources, services and other activities that:

Everything that is included in the Clearinghouse is done so because of its conformity to one or more of the selection criteria.

Is international material listed?
Yes. Some international resources or other information is listed if it is relevant to the Australian context or if it fills an information gap not adequately covered by domestic material.

How should material be submitted?
Choose what suits you. Either you can forward us the item, provide a detailed description of what you want included, or simply give us a lead to it and we'll follow it up. To contact us, please click here.

How is the information kept up-to-date?
Every item in the Clearinghouse is reviewed regularly by our staff to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date. You will find the date and time of an item's last review at the bottom of each record display. However, should you notice anything that is incorrect or incomplete, please bring it to our attention. We will rectify the problem promptly.