A van with a registered nurse is in Nowra today and will make its way south offering fast and free health checks for men.
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Rotary's Men's Health Education Rural Van (mherv) will stop at six towns from Nowra to Bega between Monday, February 19, and Saturday, March 2.
The service makes it quick, easy and convenient for men to have basic but potentially life-saving health tests done by a registered nurse.
The nurse tests blood pressure as well as cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
The health check only takes 10 minutes and is free.
500 lives saved, 14,000 tests done
There is no need to make an appointment or sit around in a waiting room.
The van stops at a convenient location in each town such as a Bunnings or shopping centre carpark.
mherv project leader Adrian Payne said the service has done around 14,000 tests.
"Up to now we are certain we have saved about 500 lives because we found people whose blood pressure was at a dangerous level and got them to a facility for treatment.
"If not, they probably would have had a heart attack or stroke fairly soon afterwards," Mr Payne said.
No symptoms doesn't mean no problem
Mr Payne said Rotary started mherv because it saw people were having difficulties getting appointments at local medical clinics.
That exacerbated the problem of "men generally not paying attention to their health and not setting up regular schedules to check things like blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol".
"There is a reluctance to check these things yet they are indicators of people's health.
"They don't really show any symptoms until it is too late," he said.
"It is this insidious situation with about 40,000 Australians dying every year from a curable disease."
Around 40 percent of men who take the tests require following up with a GP.
Time for a check up if can't remember last one
Mr Payne said they park the van in a public place with passing traffic
It is often the men's partners who see it and they get pushed into the van.
"I think when they come into the van of their own accord it is because they realise they haven't had a check-up for a while or think they will get brownie points when they report back home," he said.
"If you can't remember when you last saw a doctor then it is time to get a check-up."
The mherv will be in the following locations:
- Nowra 9.30am-3.30pm February 19 and 20 at Homeco South Nowra - Anaconda
- Ulladulla 9.30am-3.30pm February 21 and 22 at Ulladulla Civic Centre
- Batemans Bay 9.30am-3.30pm February 23 and 9.30am-12.30pm February 24 at Catalina Country Club
- Moruya 9.30am-3.30pm February 26 and 27 at Moruya Mowers & Chainsaw
- Narooma 9.30am-3.30pm February 28 and 29 at the upper level carpark, Narooma Plaza
- Bega 9.30am-3.30pm March 1 and 9.30am-12.30pm March 2 at Littleton Gardens.
