PACCAR Australia is donating the use of a Kenworth K200 cab-over
to a new mobile health initiative that will bring high-level
specialist medical services to remote communities, starting in the
south-west of Queensland.
It's the Heart of Australia project, the brainchild of
41-year-old Queensland cardiologist, Dr. Rolf Gomes, claimed to be
the only multi-specialty mobile clinic project yet undertaken in
Australia. In terms of the area it will cover, this also promises
to be the most ambitious service of its kind anywhere in the
world.
Heart of Australia was launched in Toowoomba in the first week
of October, with Kenworth's K200 hauling a 19m customised trailer
outfitted with more than $500,000 worth of state-of-the-art medical
equipment.
Dr. Gomes says cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause
of death in Australia, with one person dying every 12 minutes, but
people living in remote areas have a far higher rate of
hospitalisation and death resulting from the disease.
"The key problem is that so many of these communities do not
have specialist cardiac health services," Dr. Gomes said. "That's
the reason I founded Heart of Australia – to
give people in the bush access to the same services the rest of
Australia takes for granted."
In its first year, the mobile unit aims to travel more than
72,000 km, covering an area of over 450,000 square km. This will
allow people from remote areas to access specialist services they
would usually have to travel sometimes thousands of kilometres to
reach.
Although Heart of Australia was launched in Toowoomba, the
nearby town of Dalby will act as a hub for the south-west
Queensland phase of the program. The mobile clinic aims to service
at least five rural and remote towns – and
surrounding communities – in its first year of
operation.
The project will begin by visiting communities in the Surat
Basin, including Roma, Charleville, Dalby, Goondiwindi and St
George. The planned second phase will focus on the central west,
visiting towns such as Barcaldine, Winton, Hughenden and
Moranbah.
The mobile unit will stop in each town for two days and return
for another two days each fortnight.
"The fortnightly visits will enable us to examine all the
patients in a town referred by local general practitioners, and
follow-up on the progress of patients seen on earlier visits," Dr.
Gomes said. "In addition, we will have experts in different
specialties on different visits.
"On our first visit, for example, we would have a cardiologist.
On our second visit to the town, we may have a cardiologist and an
endocrinologist. On visits, when a particular specialist isn't
onboard, they can still conduct follow-up consultations via
teleconferencing and telemedicine," he explained.
Onboard at all times will be a nurse, a consulting cardiologist
and a cardiac scientist/sonographer. Other specialists and support
staff will fly into towns and join the mobile clinic when
required.
Heart of Australia has attracted widespread support from the
Australian Medical Association Queensland, the Medicare Local
health bodies which co-
ordinate regional services and also a growing number of local
GPs and councils. In addition, Dr. Gomes has gained the backing of
Queensland's largest private cardiology group, the Queensland
Cardiovascular Group, which will assist with the provision of the
required cardiologists.
In addition, the program has received funding from the
Australian and Queensland governments, and support from various
corporate sponsors including Arrow Energy, St Andrew's War Memorial
Hospital, Bayer Australia and IOR Petroleum.
PACCAR Australia was the first to back the program with the
provision of a Kenworth prime mover for 12 months, covering the
first phase of the program. In addition, Brown and Hurley, PACCAR's
longest-serving and largest dealer group, will provide truck
service and maintenance throughout this time.
"We're proud to have PACCAR as our major transport partner
– they have been critical to the success of this
program," Dr. Gomes said.
"Heart of Australia is a great cause, but it will only be
successful if people understand the issues and appreciate what's
needed," Dr. Gomes said. "PACCAR Australia understood immediately.
When you're behind the iconic Kenworth name, Australia's leading
truck brand, you know full well the vast distances between the city
and the bush, and just how remote so many of these communities are.
PACCAR recognised the program's potential in terms of improving
health outcomes in those areas, and they have remained committed
ever since," he said.
PACCAR Australia's Managing Director, Mike Dozier, said he was
excited about supporting a worthy and much-needed service.
"We are delighted to be contributing to this unique initiative,
and we're looking forward to the possibility of a longer-term
relationship. Heart of Australia is an important medical resource
which will improve life in many communities and,
no doubt, save lives as well. You cannot put a price on this
service, and that's why we got involved," he said.
"The mobile health clinic will be visiting a number of rural
mining and agricultural areas which rely heavily on road-based
transport," Mr Dozier added.
All medical tests and consultations will be conducted in Heart
of Australia's self-contained medical clinic trailer, which was
custom built by Varley Group in Brisbane. It comprises a variety of
air-conditioned rooms, including a reception and waiting area,
several consultation rooms, a testing room and an amenities area. A
wheelchair access lift has also been fitted.
All non-invasive tests available to patients in Brisbane will be
available onboard the mobile clinic. This includes everything from
an echocardiogram, cardiac ultrasound and cardiac stress testing to
heart monitoring, blood pressure monitoring and sleep apnoea
testing.
"Once a patient has been referred by their GP, they will be seen
by a specialist who will run a series of non-invasive tests," Dr
Gomes said. "The results will be available immediately or usually
within a few hours. This enables the specialist to make a
diagnosis, have a follow-up consultation with the patient and start
treatment generally within 24 hours. There's not the delay you have
when you see a specialist in the city, where the whole process
could take weeks or even months, from the initial appointment to
tests scheduled at a later time and then the follow-up usually
weeks after that. With Heart of Australia, the entire procedure
occurs virtually on the spot in the patient's home town," he
explained.
"When I began working on this program, one of the aims was to
ultimately offer a range of specialist services beyond cardiology.
We have achieved this even before the program has begun. We will be
offering respiratory physicians as well as an immunologist and
endocrinologist. That's just the start. Before long we'll be
offering other medical disciplines." Dr. Gomes said.
"Heart of Australia was my vision, but it's the result of a
joint effort by a large number of individuals and organisations,
including generous sponsors, like PACCAR Australia," he
concluded.
Watch for further news in the coming months, on the progress of
the Heart of Australia program. Regular website articles at
kenworth.com.au will keep you up to date on the response to this
great initiative.
Kenworth trucks are designed and manufactured in Australia to
meet the world's toughest applications. Kenworth, a division of
PACCAR Australia, is market leader in heavy duty trucks in
Australia. Its trucks are also exported to Papua New Guinea and New
Zealand. PACCAR Inc, a Six Sigma company, is a global technology
leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of
high-quality light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks under the
Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. PACCAR also designs and
manufactures advanced diesel engines, provides financial services
and information technology, and distributes truck parts related to
its principal business.
For further information, contact:
Neil Willox
Marketing Manager
PACCAR Australia
Em: neil.willox@paccar.com
Tel: (03) 9721 1500