Latest news with #StreetSideMedics
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Mobile GP service expands reach, providing vital healthcare to homeless in Nowra
Bernie Goodwin used to dread getting sick because it meant visiting a GP clinic. It made him uncomfortable knowing people would stare at him. Until he secured housing recently, he slept in a public park in the centre of Nowra on the New South Wales south coast. "I won't go to the doctors if people stare at me — I just walk straight back out," Mr Goodwin said. "You could be smelly, you stink, people stare, you feel weird. "You don't want to get sick because there's not many places you can go." Meanwhile, Ellis Victoria was experiencing homelessness when he became sick with the viral liver infection hepatitis C. He said despite feeling unwell, his health was not a priority. "On the street you have a lot of other issues you're dealing with, you're not always able to get to a doctor," Mr Victoria said. Street Side Medics is a mobile GP van for people who are homeless, staffed by volunteer doctors and launched in Sydney in 2020. It has now expanded to Nowra, its most regional community yet, where more than 700 people face homelessness or marginal housing across the Shoalhaven region. Operations manager Leanne Akiki said the clinic partnered with specialised support services like the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub to target people falling through the gaps. "There's a mixture of reasons why people don't feel comfortable entering a traditional general practice and emergency department hospitals," she said. Ms Akiki said the GP van was particularly helpful for the many people sleeping rough who did not have Medicare. The Street Side Medic doctors often assist with wound care, infections, chronic illness and acute diseases, and can also provide referrals for specialists. Mr Victoria has recently secured permanent housing but visits the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub daily for a meal and some company. He said he was relieved to be able to visit the Street Side Medics van on its first day of operation this week. "I am getting a bit older now, I've just had my bloods done and they're going to check my iron and vitamin B and for cancer," Mr Victoria said. "It's a load off my chest. "It's really important … when it [the service] comes to us, we should be a healthier community because of it." For Mr Goodwin, the opportunity to see a GP at the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub was a "big shock" and a win. "I still come visit every day to visit my friends, see how they're going and encourage them to do better, and I come for a feed." Street Side Medics founder Daniel Nour said he wanted a national homelessness commissioner to better coordinate a response to the growing, Australia-wide crisis. "Too many organisations are currently working in silos," Dr Nour said. "We need a homelessness commissioner to better maximise the resources available to us … not only to better support vulnerable Australians, but also to understand and address the root causes of homelessness." The most recent census data from 2021 indicated a 5.2 per cent increase in the number of homeless persons between 2016 and 2021, to 122,494 people. NSW and Victoria recorded the largest number of people experiencing homelessness, with 35,011 and 30,660 people respectively. Dr Nour said the crisis must be addressed. "It is multi-faceted, complex, and a shameful reality in almost every society — one that demands tough conversations and meaningful cross-portfolio action," he said. "For long-term change, we need more than pockets of innovation. We need to scale what works, connect services, and commit, as a nation, to doing better." Street Side Medics plans to eventually expand its services further south.
Perth Now
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Labor election campaign overshadowed by Pope's death
The death of Pope Francis is set to loom large over Anthony Albanese on the election campaign trail, as the prime minister leads tributes to the pontiff. The prime minister, a devout Catholic, praised the late Pope as an inspiration who as also committed to peace, following his death on Monday after a battle with pneumonia. "For Australian Catholics, he was a devoted champion and loving father. Pope Francis lived out his faith and vocation in work and deed," he told reporters. "The memory and example of his compassion will long endure as we mourn his death." The Pope's death is expected to overshadow domestic issues on the campaign trail, with the prime minister set to begin the day in Melbourne. Following the news from the Vatican, Mr Albanese attended the nearby St Patrick's Cathedral to pay his respects, also speaking with dean Monsignor Stuart Hall. He also spoke briefly with other mourners who were inside the church paying tribute to the Pope. Earlier on Monday, the prime minister was campaigning in the seat of Macnamara in Melbourne's south, an electorate Labor is fighting to hold in a three-way contest with the coalition and the Greens. It was while campaigning in the seat alongside Labor MP Josh Burns the prime minister unveiled $2.6 million in federal funding for Street Side Medics, which delivers free health service to homeless people. "I've seen first and over quite a few years now ... where Street Side Medics give that medical support to people who wouldn't get it otherwise to people who are homeless, to people who are in need and do it in a way that is non-judgemental," Mr Albanese told reporters. It comes as Treasurer Jim Chalmers challenged the opposition to come forward with policy costings, as pre-poll voting opens to people who can't cast their ballot on election day. Dr Chalmers urged the coalition to provide the figures following analysis claiming policies of tax deductions on mortgages, fuel excise cuts and subsidised meals for businesses would cost $10 billion more than estimated. "The dodgy figures they have put out show they have a budget black hole worth billions of dollars for just three policies alone," he said. Both the coalition and Labor have pledged to release full policy costings before election day.
