3 days ago
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.
