The South Australian West Coast ACCHO Network (SAWCAN) brings the skills and knowledge of five Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations together to improve the lives of our people.
SAWCAN was established in 2020 as a partnership consisting of five Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) on the Eyre Peninsula and Far West Coast of South Australia.
The ACCHOs include:
- Nunyara Aboriginal Health Service in Whyalla
- Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service in Port Lincoln
- Yadu Health Aboriginal Corporation in Ceduna
- Tullawon Health Service in Yalata
- Oak Valley Health Service in Oak Valley
Together, the five partner ACCHOs provide comprehensive primary health care to approximately 5,500 Aboriginal people in a region spanning 1,300 kilometres from Whyalla to the border of Western Australia.
Stay connected with SAWCAN
Tackling Indigenous Smoking
Program of the month
Australia’s Tackling Indigenous Smoking Program is a community-led program that aims to improve the health of our people by inspiring all of us to quit or cut down on smokes and vapes. Smoking is a significant health issue within these communities, contributing to various chronic diseases and a reduced life expectancy.
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ACCHOs guiding how our data is managed and protected.
On 12 September 2025, more than 30 researchers, policy makers and Indigenous governance members came together to explore what Indigenous data sovereignty means in practice, especially in genomics healthcare.
For Mob, this is about making sure our information is handled the right way.
The workshop focused on practical steps for how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data is stored, analysed and governed within modern genomics systems. Using real case studies, participants worked through what respectful, accountable data management should look like.
When ACCHOs and Indigenous governance voices are part of these conversations, expectations are clearer.
Our data is not just information. It carries culture, story and responsibility. Doing data right means protecting community authority, now and into the future.
Nunyara Aboriginal Health Service Inc Yadu Health Aboriginal Corporation Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Services #Tullawonhealth #oakvalleyhealth
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It’s Drug and Alcohol Facts Week – a good time to share a few facts with our young people and community.
Did you know alcohol slows the messages between your brain and body?
Alcohol is called a central nervous system depressant. That doesn’t mean alcohol will make you feel sad. People feel all sorts of ways when they drink – happy, sad, relaxed, nervous.
What it means is that alcohol slows how your brain and body work together. It can slow your:
• breathing
• heart rate
• thinking
• movement
• reactions
One thing worth knowing is that mixing alcohol with other drugs that also slow your system can be risky.
Medicines like Valium, Xanax, Temazepam, Codeine, Buprenorphine and Oxycodone, as well as drugs like heroin, also slow breathing. When they are mixed with alcohol, breathing can slow down too much.
Another thing many people don’t realise is that some medicines and drugs stay in your system longer than you might think. The Valium taken yesterday could still be affecting your body today.
Nunyara Aboriginal Health Service Inc Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Services Yadu Health Aboriginal Corporation #TullawonHealth #OakValleyHealth
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