Such a result simply adds to the pride felt by workers at Gateway Health, which has received a highly commended award from the Victorian Multicultural Commission for its corporate innovation.

The community agency’s multicultural services include a dedicated medical clinic, targeted health promotion and referrals as well as art therapy, African cooking, yoga, massage and help for gamblers.

Gateway Health staff and clients celebrated the commission honour in Wodonga at the regular luncheon of its social inclusion program Culture Club.

Acting chief executive Vicki Pitcher said the schemes aimed to cater for people’s health and therapeutic needs.

“We help them develop networks that they’re able to get into, whether it’s the employment agencies or the social events that happen,” she said.

“We try and connect the dots for them, I guess, and give them a safe place.

“Especially with the medical clinics, there is so much work needed to repair the damage that these people come here with and to be able to combine with the social is just magic.”

Refugee health nurse/midwife Penny Wilson said the multicultural clinic had treated hundreds of patients over recent years, many from Bhutan, Iran and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some clients were single mothers with children because their husbands had been killed.

“We’ve had women who’ve lost children in refugee camps during the crisis and they’ve come here without some of their children but they’ve adopted their sister’s children because their sister died during the crisis,” Miss Wilson said.

In July Gateway Health began a Work Ready program, a series of workshops covering job search skills like preparing a resume, interview processes, attention to detail and developing connections.

Project worker Vijay Kuttappan said Work Ready had helped people prepare for the Australian workforce.

“Out of 24 participants, 18 have already got a job,” he said.

Mr Kuttappan said most satisfying was the fact these roles were in preferred areas, for example assistant teaching or accounting.

“So rather than getting any kind of job, they’re getting exactly what they want,” he said. 

Ms Pitcher said Gateway Health had applied for funding from the Scanlon Foundation to run the Work Ready program again next year.

“Each year that passes we identify other opportunities,” Ms Pitcher said.