Street Side Medics expands GP-led clinics

Chronic disease screening, immunisations, pathology, surgical procedures and referrals to other specialists – the GPs at Street Side Medics offer a life-saving service for those who are often forgotten.
 
The not-for-profit, GP-led mobile medical service provides healthcare for people experiencing homelessness.
 
It offers bulk billing for its patients, but for those without a Medicare card, Street Side Medics maintains a ‘no-turn-away policy’.
 
And demand for the service is now so high, a second mobile clinic opened its doors in Victoria on Wednesday.
 
Located at Cleve Gardens at St Kilda, the clinic is now open and operates every Wednesday from 5.30 – 7.30 pm.
 
It comes after Victoria’s first clinic opened in Melbourne last year, joining several currently operating in New South Wales.
 
Dr Daniel Nour founded the Street Side Medics during the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing firsthand the gap in the healthcare offerings available for vulnerable people.
 
Despite working full-time as a cardiology trainee doctor at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, he remains heavily involved in his charity and was in St Kilda for the new clinic’s launch.
 
‘It’s often very difficult for those experiencing homelessness to prioritise their health or access appropriate healthcare,’ Dr Nour said.
 
‘Street Side Medics has proven the value of a mobile healthcare model.
 
‘Mobile clinics can play a vital role by bringing care to vulnerable people who’d otherwise go without.’


Street Side Medics Founder Dr Daniel Nour, Councillor Libby Buckingham, Councillor Serge Thomann, Street Side Medics CEO Nic Brown and City of Port Phillip Mayor Councillor Louise Crawford. (Image: supplied)

The St Kilda location was decided upon due to its sizeable homeless population.
 
Within its local government area in 2021, 1067 residents were experiencing homelessness – the fifth highest number of citizens experiencing homelessness in Victoria.
 
In the same year, the local council received an average of 13.4 community requests per month for homelessness response and more than 100 new referrals of older local people in housing need.
 
Street Side Medics is just one of a growing number of mobile medical services operating across Australia – all with a mission to help those who need it most.
 
But with rates of homelessness rising, Dr Nour said long-term change is what is really needed to help those most vulnerable in society, saying ‘we need more than pockets of innovation’.
 
‘We need to scale what works, connect services and commit, as a nation, to doing better,’ he said.
 
‘Homelessness is not just a housing issue. Homelessness is also a health crisis. It is a policy crisis.
 
‘It is multi-faceted, complex, and a shameful reality in almost every society; one that demands tough conversations and meaningful cross-portfolio action.’
 
The new St Kilda clinic was able to open its doors thanks to, in part, a renewal of Federal Government funding announced ahead of the Federal Election.
 
Dr Nour now has plans to expand Street Side Medics nationally in the future.
 
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homelessness mobile medical clinic Street Side Medics