Healthy Ageing for People Living with HIV – Multicultural Health Week 2025

Multicultural Health Week (1–7 September) celebrates the strength and contributions of older people in our diverse communities. In NSW, people living with HIV are living longer, healthier lives thanks to effective HIV medications. But as people age, they may face health issues earlier — including conditions not directly linked to HIV.

Healthy ageing is about more than just medical care. It includes mental wellbeing, staying socially connected, and understanding how to manage other chronic conditions such as hepatitis B.

This year, we’re highlighting resources that support older people, including:

Free interpreter-assisted coaching via the Get Healthy Service: https://www.gethealthynsw.com.au/ 

These resources are part of a broader effort to ensure that older adults — especially those living with HIV or hepatitis B — are empowered to manage their health, access culturally appropriate services, and stay active and informed.

To stay-up-to-date with the latest information, follow our Facebook page www.facebook.com/theMHAHs

Hepatitis Awareness Week 2025: Join the Call to Eliminate Hepatitis B and C by 2030 


Hepatitis Awareness Week (28 July to 3 August, 2025) and World Hepatitis Day (28 July) are fast approaching, shining a spotlight on the urgent need to address hepatitis B and C in our communities.  

In response, NSW Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (MHAHS) is leading a campaign to raise awareness about liver health and promote access to testing and treatment—especially in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. The campaign supports Australia’s national goal to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. However, experts warn that current progress is too slow to meet this target. The time to act is now. 

Multilingual resources, free education sessions and webinar 

Our campaign features a multilingual toolkit which brings together a wide range of free, in-language resources, including posters, brochures, videos, and social media content in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, Nepali, Mongolian, Khmer, Vietnamese and more. 

Community groups in the Sydney Local Health District can also book free education sessions with us on hepatitis B and hepatitis C, available in multiple languages and tailored to local communities. 

As part of the campaign, community and health workers are invited to attend a free online webinar, The ABC of Liver Health. This informative session will cover the basics of hepatitis B and C, the importance of liver health, and how to support testing and care—especially within CALD communities. The webinar is a valuable opportunity to build awareness, ask questions, and access practical, multilingual resources that can be shared with local communities. 

<Register here>. 

How you can help 

  •     Promote testing: Encourage community members to speak with their GP about hepatitis B and C testing. 
  •     Share resources: Download and distribute multilingual materials from the toolkit. 
  •     Host a session: Contact MHAHS to organise a free education session for your community. 

You can access the Hepatitis Awareness Week 2025 Multilingual Toolkit here. 

Together, we can take action to prevent liver cancer, improve health outcomes, and help eliminate hepatitis B and C by 2030. 

For media interviews, to organise an education session, join the webinar, or request more information, please contact NSW MHAHS on (02) 9515 1234 or email Bu e-Posta adresi istenmeyen posta engelleyicileri tarafından korunuyor. Görüntülemek için JavaScript etkinleştirilmelidir..

New Multilingual Factsheets and Resources to Raise Syphilis and STI Awareness

Syphilis rates are on the rise across NSW, particularly among women of childbearing age and men who have sex with men. Concerningly, cases of congenital syphilis, which is entirely preventable through timely antenatal screening, are also increasing – especially within our multicultural communities where language or cultural barriers often delay crucial testing and treatment.

The NSW Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (MHAHS) and South Western Sydney LHD have released a new series of multilingual factsheets to support community awareness about syphilis.

The campaign targets women of reproductive age and the general CALD community from 12 key language groups and encourages early syphilis testing and treatment. It also supports antenatal care providers and health professionals in raising awareness through culturally appropriate resources.

Hard copies of the factsheets are available to order online, and digital copies are downloadable via the STI Prevention Multilingual Toolkit along with other valuable resources.

Visit the MHAHS Facebook page to easily re-share social media posts on the factsheets and syphilis testing in pregnancy on your socials.

Get informed and help encourage early syphilis testing and treatment to support the health and wellbeing of families and communities.

Reducing late HIV diagnoses and supporting linkage to care

To mark HIV Testing Week, Dr Rachael Thomas, Staff Specialist, South Western Sydney LHD, joined Clare Berrie, Senior Social Worker and Coordinator of the Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (MHAHS) Clinical Concierge Program, in a new interview highlighting the importance of culturally safe HIV testing and care. 

Late HIV diagnosis is still a real concern in NSW, particularly in Greater Western Sydney where we are seeing a third of new cases. 

Dr. Thomas emphasises: “HIV is a manageable condition with safe and effective anti-retroviral medication. The earlier you are tested for the condition, the sooner you know your HIV status, which improves your long-term health outcomes by starting medication as soon as possible if you test positive.   

However, stigma and access are still the key barriers to testing and care, particularly for people born overseas. Many worry that testing or treatment might be expensive or not available to them. However, HIV testing is free for everyone, no matter your Medicare of visa status. There are lots of testing options, you can: 

Treatment is also free, and data shows starting treatment early makes a big difference. Dr Thomas adds, “We now know from the research and the data that actually starting people on antiretroviral therapy as soon as they're diagnosed leads to better outcomes long term”. 

If someone tests positive, it’s important they feel supported and understood, and have access to culturally appropriate care. The NSW Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service offers a free and confidential Clinical Concierge Program that connects people recently diagnosed with HIV from a CALD background with bilingual Cultural Support Workers. These trained staff help clients navigate the health system, improve treatment literacy, and access culturally appropriate care and support services. 

Clients can easily be referred to the HIV Clinical Concierge Program using the e-referral form or contact the Program Coordinator on 0436 850 905 to discuss if the program is right for your client. For more information about the program, view the Service Provider flyer. 

Listen to the full interview here: https://vimeo.com/1090310579/be63fb530a?ts=0&share=copy