It’s almost two months since Street Side Medics opened its mobile clinic in Dandenong but the impact reached is great.
The team saw nine patients at the very first SSM Dandenong clinic with additional “meaningful” interactions with the members of the public since its inception on 21 November last year.
Street Side Medics Victorian State Manager, Grant Fenton says the SSM team treated wide-ranging cases including blood pressure checks, treatments for people experiencing leg and back pain as well as Hep C testing.
“The turnout at our first clinic did align with what we anticipated in terms of demand from the Dandenong community.
“Importantly, we also connected with representatives from a range of local services. This is a great outcome for Dandenong, because collaborating with these organisations means they’ll direct to us patients who might not otherwise attend a GP-led clinic.”
The mobile medical clinic opened up on 21 November at the Cornerstone Centre in Dandenong, operating every Friday from 10am-12pm.
Andrea Lea, is a nurse local to Greater Dandenong, who put her hand up to volunteer with SSM as a clinical support officer.
“As a nurse it’s in my veins really, at the end of the day I work full-time but spending two hours of my time on my day off-it’s nothing, sometimes I think it goes too quick.
“We are all from different backgrounds and different nursing medical backgrounds, it’s interesting to chat with the team about their roles.
“It’s rewarding as well, it’s just a couple hours of my time which is nothing but means a lot to the people I’m treating. I’m very grateful to be part of SSM.”
Her role requires her to conduct BP checks, refer them to the general practitioners inside the van, take down details to recontact them with results and sometimes to be a listening ear.
“Sometimes it can be just a little chat, somebody may not have spoken to someone for weeks.
“Behind every homeless person there a probably traumatic story behind why they are there.
“When you have a chat with them, some come from family breakdowns, parents or family members have passed and they became homeless, some took the wrong pathway and trying to get on the right foot.”
A nurse for 10 years now, Ms Lea was on the lookout to give back to the community, support marginalised racial/ethnic groups and low-income populations with a strong belief that everyone should have the right to access adequate healthcare and support.
She urges people to think before judging homeless people, saying it’s difficult to secure stable employment without a fixed address and other challenges that come with being a rough sleeper.
She also urges anyone thinking of volunteering to, “just register” with SSM, even without a medical background, to help with general roles such as driving the medical van.
