Mon,Dec,2018
A heartfelt, inspiring and at times heartbreaking address from Charters Towers’ patient, Sarah Valentine, captivated and enthralled the audience at the 2018 Heart of Australia Gala Dinner.
A few years ago Sarah had a series of unexplained falls and accidents, one of which resulted in a head injury. She, of course, consulted her GP as her primary health practitioner. Her doctor referred for to the Heart Truck for further investigation.
Sarah was well aware of the challenges typically faced by rural patients when seeking specialist medical care and was thrilled to learn that she would not need to travel to the coast for an initial consultation. The Heart Truck would be coming to Charters Towers.
“It is difficult to travel on trains or buses to coastal areas for specialist treatment when in severe pain or without a chaperone. On my first visit to The Heart of Australia Truck, I was collected at my front gate by a friend and within seven minutes I was being greeted in the Heart Truck by the wonderful Maria.”
The team were able to perform a range of tests and assessments and were able to prescribe appropriate medications and lifestyle changes the next day. Sarah’s condition improved and the accidents ceased. Beyond this, Sarah credits the team with inspiring her better quality of life.
“Before my engagement with the Heart of Australia team, my leisure time was practically non-existent and I was, at times, non-compliant regarding my health. I did things that sometimes stressed me but now I have learned to say no.
“If the doctors and all the people connected with the Heart Truck went to all this trouble to treat me and give me a better quality of life, the least I can do is toe the line. So I am happy to obey doctor’s orders and consequently, I have found a physical and emotional balance and the subtle changes to my daily routine have had a positive effect on my health and well-being.”
Sarah considers herself lucky to have had her life touched by Heart of Australia.
“I know of some other Heart of Australia patients and they live in more isolation than I. However, we all share the same opinion that our lives have radically changed for the better and at last, we have peace of mind. I also know of five people who had heart attacks and died because of the tyranny of distance. In an ideal situation, many more isolated patients could share in our liberating experience and have a fighting chance.”
“I am indebted to you all. Dr Gomes, Dr Kostner and Dr Hilling-Smith, you have lifted my spirit, you touched my soul and I thank you with every beat of my heart.”
Sun,Dec,2018
In late October, patients, team members, doctors and supporters gathered to celebrate the achievements of this very significant milestone year at a black-tie Gala Dinner.
We hold the dinner annually. Our celebrations focus on the work of the entire team whose combined efforts deliver the services, as well as the patients we have been able to see and the lives we have saved.
This year’s achievements were particularly significant with the launch of our brand new 34-wheeler, B-double mobile clinic, HEART2.
As the beautifully dressed guests converged on The Royal International Convention Centre at the Brisbane Showgrounds, they were welcomed in the forecourt by HEART2.
For many guests, this was their first opportunity to see the truck in real life, because, like our much loved original truck, HEART1, it spends all its time delivering services where they are needed, and does not return home to Brisbane.
Guests were invited to take a tour of our new clinic, with Dr Gomes onsite acting as one of our tour guides. HEART2 is significantly larger than HEART1, featuring extra consultation rooms for a range of newly added specialist services, including gynaecology, neurology and endocrinology.
Once inside guests were welcomed by the voices of the Fairholme Girls Choir, before being treated to a delicious 2-course meal. Guests heard from Heart of Australia’s founder and head cardiologist, Dr Rolf Gomes, as well as Leisa Elder from our Foundation Partner, Arrow Energy, Dr Michael Rice from the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (RDAQ) and Heart of Australia patient, Sarah Valentine, whose evocative speech captured the hearts of the room. The evening ended in true celebratory style when guests took to the dance floor and danced the night away.
Fri,Sep,2018
In her delightfully lyrical manner of speech, Lillian Chow will tell anyone at all that without the Heart of Australia mobile specialist clinics – she wouldn’t be alive today. In fact, the lady is adamant on that point.
Born in Zambia and now resident in Emerald in Central Queensland, Lillian already had her airline ticket for a family-visit trip back to Africa, when she was referred to what’s affectionally known as The Heart Truck … only to find that she was on the edge, with cardiac artery blockages at extreme levels.
After emergency surgery in Brisbane to implant no fewer than 3 stents in her body and time for rehab, Lillian was back in her home of two years in Emerald.
An almost 60-years-old mother of five and grandmother of four, Lillian arrived in 2000 as a business migrant with her former husband – ”we waited seven years for Australian citizenship”- working in Sydney and Hobart.
“If not for the truck, for Heart of Australia … well, I wouldn’t be here …”
Thu,Sep,2018
Dan Giumelli and Donna Jones first learned about Heart of Australia from a baker. While working as two highly skilled and experienced cardiac rehabilitation nurses in the Mater Mackay Hospital, a baker from Moranbah came into their care.
The two nurses were advising him about some post-surgery services that he would need to travel to Mackay to undergo on a regular basis when the baker turned and said ‘but I already get those things done on the truck in Moranbah’.
We were completely confounded. What truck would be in Moranbah doing echos and stress tests? We assumed he was confused and told him he probably didn’t understand the specific kinds of tests he was going to need. But he was quite insistent.
Dan googled it, and they learned about the work of Heart of Australia.
Shortly afterwards Donna was lying on her couch one night when Dan texted her to turn on the ABC because the heart truck was on Australian Story.
In the midst of watching the show, they texted each other – Heart Week. For the last two years, Donna and Dan have volunteered their own time to join our road team west of Mackay in Moranbah as supporters of National Heart Week, in May.
The two bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the truck each time they visit, directly enhancing the patient experience. Donna and Dan are cardiac rehabilitation facilitators. Their professional roles involve supporting patients through rehabilitation after they have had a cardiac event and their symptoms have been addressed medically. Individually they have knowledge and experience in helping patients understand their post-cardiac medications, physiotherapy, exercise regimes, diet and mental health to ensure a healthy lifestyle post-event.
Donna and Dan used these skills to provide healthy lifestyle advice and packs to Heart of Australia patients lucky enough to visit the truck in Moranbah during Heart Week. They also organised a raffle resulting in a donation towards operating costs.
Donna said after the first year there was no question they would return for Heart Week 2018, “We’ve got to go back out there next year, we’ve got to do that again.”
“I’ve just learned that with the second truck they are going to be spending more time in Moranbah, and with me retiring, I’ll be happy to come out, and volunteer use my skills to help more and do their ECGs or whatever need to be done to help. Dan’s the same, though she’s still working.
“Cardiac nursing is what we’ve been doing for years, and so it is just so exciting to see the truck up and running in Moranbah.”
“It makes such a difference. Now we know all the different services the truck can provide, we can tell people who are from the region what’s on offer.
“There are people out there who just wouldn’t or couldn’t travel to get things checked out, that are coming to the heart truck and getting tested.
“Heart of Australia speeds up diagnosis, it saves bush people having to travel great distances for a specialist consultation – and it saves lives.
As Dan puts it: “We were fascinated when Dr Gomes took it on … taking specialist doctors out to the country is fabulous!”
Thu,Sep,2018
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1972666412753389
The celebrated Heart of Australia project has launched a bold new chapter in its mission to deliver specialist medical services to outback Queenslanders, with the launch of HEART2, its second truck.
The groundbreaking 34-wheel B-Double, Australia’s largest mobile medical clinic, features extra consultation rooms for a range of specialist services, including gynaecology, neurology and endocrinology, has instantly expanded the project’s mobile delivery capacity – while also opening the way for a much broader range of specialist medical services to be offered onboard.
HEART2 will join HEART1, the original custom-built 18-wheeler clinic which began delivering specialist services to the bush in 2014, turning the dream into a reality.
Dr Rolf Gomes told guests at the launch of HEART2 that the demand for medical specialist services in the bush required the expansion of both the fleet and the services being offered.
“Taking cardiologists to regional and remote towns has led us to see over 5,000 patients and helped to save more than 250 lives, but we know people’s health needs extend far beyond heart conditions which is why this second truck is so important.”
“The new truck will see gynaecologists, gastroenterologists, neurologists, geriatric medicine specialists and endocrinologists joining cardiologists on the 8000 kilometres a month round trip across rural and remote Queensland.
“The goal is to be able to deliver not only the specialists but also state-of-the-art medical equipment needed to provide quality care. We say it’s about bringing Wickham Terrace to the bush – if you can find the equipment in my Brisbane clinic, you’ll find it on the truck,” Dr Gomes said.
A second truck also means doctors can spend more time treating patients and Heart of Australia can expand the service to another three towns on top of the 13 it already visits between Stanthorpe in the south and Charters Towers in the north.
“With just one truck, we were spending about half our time treating patients and the other half commuting,” Dr Gomes explained.
“Now we’ll spend 80 per cent of our time with outback Queenslanders and just 20 per cent driving, meaning the waitlist for people needing healthcare will reduce dramatically.”
It’s another big step towards our goal of having mobile specialist clinics on country roads right across Australia. The launch of our second medical truck is an excellent day for our team, for the people who have supported us, and most importantly for the people in the bush to who we will be delivering specialist medical services to.
Because every Australian deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of where they live.”
