SAVING local lives is the objective of the Rotary Men’s Health Education Rural Van (mherv) which, thanks to the local Rotary clubs along the Coffs Coast, is making four stops on our shores.
Woolgoolga – Surf Club Car Park on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October.
Sawtell on First Avenue on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October.
Coffs Harbour Bunnings, Cooks Drive on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October.
The visit to Dorrigo is on Monday 2 November.
The mherv is a mini consulting room, custom-built to provide a relaxed, confidential and informal setting.
It is staffed by a registered nurse who conducts free health checkups, including blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, often to people who rarely go to their doctor.
The program is focussed on men because, unlike the womenfolk, they are often not good at caring for their own health. However, everyone is welcome to come to mherv for a health check.
The van is operated by the Rotary Club of Warners Bay in collaboration with other NSW Rotary clubs and local community organisations.
It is funded by numerous community BBQs and activities, which raise money to make the annual tours possible.
The local clubs held well-supported fundraising BBQs at Bunnings Coffs Harbour last week.
“Members of the Rotary Clubs of Coffs Harbour, Coffs City, Coffs Daybreak, Dorrigo, Woolgoolga and Sawtell and a member of the Rotary Districts E club operated a very successful Bunnings Barbecue on Friday and Saturday,” Sawtell Rotary club spokesperson Peter Paff said.
“A total of 25 individual Rotarians volunteered their time, some more than once.”
Since 2017 mherv has been out in the backblocks of NSW on two scheduled tours per year, seeking out the menfolk who haven’t seen the inside of a doctor’s rooms for years.
These are the blokes who drop dead in a paddock, because nobody saw it coming, according to the mherv website.
The statistics tell the facts of men failing to put their health first.
More than 41,000 Australian men die of preventable diseases each year, 20,500 men have been tested by the mherv project since 2017, 8,100 were found to be in need of treatment and 615 were in immediate danger of a stroke or heart attack.
“The 10-minute mherv screenings have saved many lives and improved health outcomes for many men and women throughout NSW,” Mr Paff said.
The van will be open for free health checks from 9.30 until 4.15 each day.
By Andrea FERRARI
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