LSH Auto Australia hosted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at its Mercedes-Benz Melbourne facility on Kings Way for the Victorian launch of the Street Side Medics mobile medical service.
Created by former Young Australian of the Year Dr Daniel Nour, Street Side Medics is a not-for-profit, GP-led service dedicated to people experiencing homelessness.
Since the charity launched in 2020, LSH Auto Australia has provided three Mercedes-Benz vans equipped as mobile medical clinics to Street Side Medics.
It also committed to donate a fourth van for the expanding service.
With the charity’s first move outside of New South Wales, Street Side Medics provides free primary healthcare to vulnerable Australians weekly, visiting areas with demographically high concentrations of homelessness.
Political and community leaders joined the Prime Minister, Dr Nour, LSH Auto Australia managing director John Good, and the team of volunteers, supporters, board members and others to mark Street Side Medics’ official launch into Victoria.
The service – which has a no-turn-away policy and currently treats a rapidly growing average of 126 patients per week in New South Wales alone – operates in partnership with existing food services, shelters and other homelessness-focussed service providers to alleviate the burdens faced by homeless communities in accessing primary healthcare.
The Prime Minister welcomed the expansion of the service to Melbourne.
“The arrival of Street Side Medics in Melbourne represents a fresh chapter in a great story that begins with former Young Australian of the Year, Dr Daniel Nour and his vision of ensuring that people who are experiencing homelessness don’t fall through the cracks and miss out on the healthcare they need,” says Prime Minister Albanese.
“A world of difference is made possible by the energy, compassion and selflessness of the army of Street Side Medics volunteers,” he says.
“Thanks in large part to government support and that of corporate partners, such as LSH Auto, who contribute financially and in other ways, Street Side Medics can now reach homeless communities across two states, with plans for further national expansion,” Dr Nour says.
“Today, Street Side Medics has multiple mobile medical units, each run by an RACGP-accredited General Practitioner and more than 600 trained volunteers. I wish I could say this fantastic team and resources are sufficient, but the reality is that they simply are not.
“We are calling for Victorian doctors, nurses, physios and other medical volunteers to help extend our essential work across Victoria and the nation,” he says.
John Good pledged ongoing support from LSH Auto Australia as the service expands.
“Like any great city, there are, sadly, those who don’t do as well as most and some who fall between the cracks. Daniel saw that some years ago and refused to walk by. When we learned of what he was doing, we could not wait to come on board,” Good says,
“Our partnership has grown to the donation of three vans, with a fourth now pledged, and is central to our objective of being a contributing and valued member of the communities in which we operate,” he says.
Street Side Medics will operate from 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne – outside of The Salvation Army’s ‘Melbourne Project 614’ site, every Thursday night from 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm.
The Street Side Medics team will operate alongside The Salvation Army’s evening Twilight Café service, which serves 500 free meals daily to its patrons, many experiencing homelessness within the Melbourne CBD.
