UQ at Springfield

We’re all in on reconciliation, today and every day.

We are a community research centre focused on improving health and wellbeing in Springfield and surrounds. Improving health disparity is key to our work here.

We cannot ignore the significant gap in health outcomes experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 🖤💛❤️

To responsibly work with First Nations communities and learn from them, we need more than intention. We need the skills to engage in meaningful, honest conversations 🤝

One approach is a model called ‘Courageous Conversations about Race’, a framework, developed by Glenn E. Singleton, widely used across Queensland in health settings.

It teaches you The Four Agreements:

1. Stay Engaged: Remaining morally, emotionally, and intellectually involved in the dialogue.
2. Speak Your Truth: Being honest about your thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences.
3. Experience Discomfort: Acknowledging that conversations about race can be confronting.
4. Accept Non-Closure: Understanding that these deep issues cannot be solved in a single discussion.

You can also use a four-point compass to understand how you process and engage with racial issues:

1. Emotional: What am I feeling?
2. Intellectual: What am I thinking or learning?
3. Moral: What are my beliefs regarding right and wrong?
4. Social: What actions will I take based on this dialogue?

We hope this gives you a new and practical way to think about how you engage with conversations about race.

If there’s more we can do to support First Nations communities in Springfield and surrounds, we want to hear from you 🫵

Comment below or message us.

Don’t wait for symptoms ❤️

Even if you feel healthy, risk factors like high blood pressure or cholesterol often have no symptoms. That’s why regular checks are so important.

A heart health check is a free check‑up with your GP designed to estimate your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years.

During your visit, your GP will check things like your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels to build a picture of your heart health. You’ll also have a conversation about your medical history, your family history, and your everyday lifestyle habits.

All of this information is put together to calculate your overall risk, helping your GP understand how at risk you are of having a heart attack or stroke in the next five years.

You're eligible for a FREE heart health check if you:
- are 45 years and over
- are 35 years for people living with diabetes
- are 30 years for First Nations peoples
- don't already have heart disease

Book your heart health check with your GP and take the first step towards protecting your heart today.

Heart Foundation