Leveraging difference for good – regional nurse appointed to multicultural health advisory committee to champion for regional communities

Arun Thomas, an RN and healthcare leader, knows what it is to feel thrown by the new. He arrived in 2008 as an international student and he’s had to navigate cultural and language challenges to find his place in Australia. But more than that, in his carving out a place for himself, he’s wanted to champion those around him in his advocacy as a health leader. Thomas’ story highlights a positive and impactful trend that is happening from within health and aged care. Those from within the sectors, knowing the problems, knowing the pain-points, are organising and giving of themselves and their time to leverage for the people they have personally known and professionally served. Far from waiting for outside help to come, Thomas showcases the work aged and health care leaders are doing from within to impact the reality of the system to guide and land where and what it can be.

Empathy and community fuels leadership

In speaking with The Wimmera Mail-Times Thomas shares that vulnerability can be an integral tool on the road to effective leadership, “I remember the uncertainty of trying to find my place in a new country, and I’ve realised that the very perspective I once thought made me an outsider is exactly what allows me to serve as an effective advocate today”.

His recent appointment to the Victorian government’s Multicultural Health Advisory Committee has brought to the fore for Thomas, key points of importance for him, and re-confirmed the relationship of community to leadership.

“There was a profound sense of pride and a gratitude so deep it is hard to articulate,” he says, “I felt a deep sense of responsibility towards this state and toward every mentor, colleague, and patient who has shaped my journey as a nurse.”

“My appointment to this committee is not just a personal milestone, as it is also a reflection of the guidance and support I have received from the Victorian community over the years.”

Grassroots matters

The figures are stark, regional and remote Australia has had consistently difficult times navigating and receiving resources to meet its aged and health care needs. For Thomas this is front and centre as he steps up to his new advisory role.

While the committee’s scope is to navigate multicultural health issues across Victoria, Thomas shares that he will pursue ensuring regional communities, such as his home-town of Horsham and broader Wimmera, are honoured.

“For me, this appointment is about making sure the reality of regional life is actually considered when health policies are being made in Melbourne.”

In an extension of naming his experience as an international migrant, trying to make sense of the confusion and lack of networks and resources, Thomas showcases that personal experience can shape professional conviction. His experience of being on the back-foot in terms of resources and infrastructure has shaped his tenacity to champion the relevance of regional communities’ experience into policy results.

“This role gives me a chance to take those local, grassroots experiences and share them at a state level to benefit all Victorians.”

As a registered nurse, who has also worked to bring about change as a board director at Stawell Regional Health, Arun advocates for front-line staff insight to be seen for what it is; Invaluable knowledge, experience and compassion in the realities of regional care can be leveraged for governance.

He highlights the ‘on-the-ground’ lessons that have shaped his perspective, to see vital elements often overlooked, “as a registered nurse, I quickly learned that being clinically competent is only half the battle, and the other half is being culturally navigable.”

He affirms that in care, in governance, it is critical that clinical lenses work alongside honouring patients feeling seen and respected.

“You can provide the best medical and nursing care in the world, but if a patient doesn’t feel seen or understood because of their heritage, culture or language, the system has effectively failed them.”

Dynamics of governance

Having spent time on the board of Stawell Regional Health, Thomas shares that he has been shaped by seeing the dynamic between leadership decisions and their impact on patient care in regional areas.

He says, “my goal is to bring a ‘Boardroom to Bedside’ lens to the state level to ensure that when health policy is designed in Melbourne, it remains practical, safe, and respectful for those of us living in regional Victoria.”

Echoing advocates and provider heads Australia-wide, Thomas notes that multicultural health and aged care has a key role to play in regional care efficacy. Trust, he says, is ground-zero to whether people will be willing to engage with the system at all.

“In a regional community, healthcare is built entirely on the foundation of trust.”

When considering approaches to policy updates for care, Thomas shares that alongside language considerations, there are other areas that governance bodies must tackle; Mental health challenges, cultural confusion and over-reliance on family members to consistently act as interpreters in sensitive health matters and decisions is a reality that must be recognised.

“One of the most significant yet overlooked issues is the quiet toll on mental health for first generation migrants”.

Co-design future

Ahead of his tenure on the committee, Thomas shares that a priority will be to facilitate an approach of co-design, whereby regional and rural lessons are encoded in state policy from the get-go.

“This appointment is about ensuring regional Victoria acts as a vital partner in building the architecture of our health system”, he says.

“By integrating grassroots experiences early in the process, we can shape policies that are practical and effective for every multicultural community in Victoria, regardless of their postcode.”

He is passionate to elevate local grassroots organisations from auxiliary voices to central actors, to see their insight as ‘knowledge partners’ and as earned points of needed community trust, “success happens when we listen to local leaders to understand a community’s cultural and spiritual framework before we design a service.”

Thomas re-works the framework of governance and community involvement, from a nice-to-have he sees it as foundational, “this isn’t just about social inclusion; it is a fundamental requirement for clinical safety.”

Community members, in Horsham and Wimmera, professional clinical leaders and otherwise, have publicly welcomed Thomas’ approach, agreeing insight from regional Australia provides quality direction to meeting the monumental needs ahead.

“My message to the community is that your unique heritage and culture are an asset to this state rather than a hurdle to overcome.”