Guides Connect with Freo Community
supporting a Bold Initiative in Freo Three Rivers Girl Guides and the Anson Trefoil Guild joined forces in November to collect donations and pack over 50 bags of toiletries for Black Swan Health's Freo Street Doctor. Claire Farrar from the Street Doctor came to their meeting to collect the donations and talk to the Guides about the work that the Freo Street Doctor does providing medical care and support in the Fremantle community. Freo Street Doctor is a mobile medical health service that provides a visible, easily accessible and nonjudgemental primary health care service to marginalised, disadvantaged and homeless people. The service aims to care for those members of the community who for many reasons may not access mainstream general practice.
The Freo Street Doctor team is staffed by General Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Outreach Workers and Social Workers, who provide over 2000 consultations annually with over 20% of patients visiting the Freo Street Doctor identifying as homeless and 38% of patients self-identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Over 80% of clients present with more than one medical condition and over 90% of clients used Freo Street Doctor as their primary healthcare provider.
The Anson Trefoil Guild representatives also shared their experiences of supporting disadvantaged women in the local community, which helped the Guides complete another part of the “Guides Connect” badge.
The Unit reports that they have all got "so many ideas" for service projects in 2021! Photos: Miranda Cummings
8 - Wagtale February 2021
