CALL TO ACTION FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS WILLING TO GIVE THEIR TIME, SKILLS AND RESOURCES FOR THE HOMELESS
People In Health Care
Dr Daniel Nour, Founder of Street Side Medics and
Cardiology Advanced Trainee, Royal North Shore Hospital
Filmed in Sydney, New South Wales | November 2024
Identifying a gap in the healthcare of vulnerable people in New South Wales, Dr Daniel Nour founded Street Side Medics in August 2020, a not-for-profit, GP-led mobile medical service for people experiencing homelessness.
Dr. Daniel Nour is a cardiology advanced trainee at Royal North Shore Hospital and the founder of Street Side Medics, a mobile medical service dedicated to providing GP-led care to individuals experiencing homelessness. The initiative started from a customised van, which serves as a medical clinic, visiting food services and shelters across New South Wales and recently Victoria. Street Side Medics offers free medical care without requiring documentation, ID, or a Medicare card.
Understanding the barriers to healthcare faced by homeless individuals—such as lack of documentation, transportation issues, stigma, and prioritisation of basic needs like shelter and food—Dr. Nour aimed to create a supportive environment for care. His motivation stemmed from a personal experience in London when he encountered a man having a seizure, which opened his eyes to the healthcare challenges faced by the homeless community.
In October, Australian Health Journal spoke with Dr Nour at the MedTech24 conference organised by the Medical Technology Association of Australia, where he was the keynote speaker. He talks about the origins of Street Side Medics, the organisation’s growth across New South Wales as well as Victoria, the impact of point of care pathology related technology and the dedication of the health care professionals giving up their time on a voluntary basis for the homeless requiring medical attention.
Since launching in August 2020, Street Side Medics has expanded to ten clinics in New South Wales and one in Victoria, supported by approximately 600 volunteers. The average attendance at clinics ranges from 10 to 20 people per night, influenced by weather conditions. The service leverages medical technology, such as point-of-care testing machines, to deliver quick and effective diagnoses, empowering patients with immediate care solutions. Dr. Nour’s commitment stems from both a personal belief in giving back to the community and a desire to enhance the lives of those he serves.
Dr. Daniel Nour is deeply moved by the generosity of Street Side Medics volunteers who dedicate their time each week, despite their busy lives. He highlights two main reasons for their involvement: the rewarding opportunity to use professional skills for community benefit and the profound fulfilment gained from helping those who lack access to care. Dr. Nour emphasises that volunteers provide essential services that many would otherwise miss. He calls on healthcare professionals—specialists, General Practitioners, junior doctors, and nurses—to join Street Side Medics, as the organisation continues to grow and needs dedicated individuals to support their mission.
With his leadership and social consciousness, Dr Nour is committed to making a real difference to the lives of many Australians. He’s also making significant improvements to society. In 2022 he was awarded the 2022 Young Australian of the Year.
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Policymakers, health administrators and clinicians must learn and embrace new ways to harness the transformative role consumers, community members and carers can play. Conversely, consumers and communities need support, capability and capacity to engage as equals in policy, research, program and service design. This is necessary if are to be less technocratic and realise the vision where all members of society can live the best life possible.
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The role of genomic screening in transforming public health
Dr Jane Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She is Ethical, Legal & Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University, and a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant holder. Jane is passionate about the use of genomics to prevent disease, and in delivering equitable access to preventive genetic information at the population level. She is co-lead of DNA Screen, a world-first study piloting the offer of preventive DNA screening to the Australian adult population. DNA Screen has tested over 10,000 young people for genetic high risk of medically actionable conditions such as cancer and heart disease, finding about 2% of participants had genetic high risk. Jane is leading efforts to secure Commonwealth Government funding to expand the DNA Screen program, with the eventual goal of the development of a public health population screening program for disease prevention based on high genetic risk.
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Developing the next generation of medicines to target and enhance the microbiome
Australian Health Journal spoke to Associate Professor Sam Forster, Research Group Head
Microbiota and Systems Biology, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Team Leader, Australian Microbiome Culture Collection & Chief Scientific Officer, BiomeBank and Dr Sam Costello, Co-Founder and CEO of BiomeBank about the microbiome, partnering and some of the breakthroughs in recent years.
