OCTOBER 7, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Serving up joy
(Joe Mastroianni). 215967_02
The chime of an ice cream truck has been bringing joy to the people of Hobsons Bay. When Albert Cerminara drives his Mr Fresh Ice Cream truck, children and adults rush out of lockdown into the street for a soft serve cone. “The joy and smiles we have provided to kids – big and small – the past few weeks has been fantastic,” Albert said. There are a few stops where he hands out free ice creams, such as Western Autistic School at Laverton and TLC Marina Residential Aged Care in Altona North. And the van carries a jar where people can pay it forward. Hobsons Bay corporate services director Andrew McLeod said the council normally didn’t allow roaming food trucks but had made an exception. “We recognise these are very challenging times and pleasant surprises in our neighbourhoods, like ice cream trucks, can put much needed smiles on people’s faces,” he said. Mr Fresh takes requests via SMS to 0402 834 079 to determine the van’s route. Goya Dmytryshchak
Victoria’s best practice By Goya Dmytryshchak COVID-19 testing for the asymptomatic and results in 20 minutes will be the way forward, according to an Altona North medical centre named Victoria’s best practice. Altona North Medical Group has won General Practice of the Year in the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Victorian faculty awards. The centre was the first GP respiratory clinic testing for coronavirus in Melbourne’s west, pioneered drive-through testing and led western suburbs GPs in tracing close contacts faster than health authorities.
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal and partners run the Blackshaws Road centre, which assembled a pop-up virus clinic from portables and tents over 10 days at the start of the pandemic. He said the group had pulled expertise from the medical sector into one place, together with a new generation of doctors, “in our quest to keep the people of this part of the world safe”. “We also provide care for prevention and for health promotion, so it’s not just about illness – it’s about wellness,” Dr Haikerwal said. “We’ve got this concept of joined-up care, with everybody in one precinct, so it means that people don’t have to keep bopping from one place to another for their care.”
Dr Haikerwal said COVID-19 testing had slowed from more than 130 tests a day to as low as 15. He said the community had to learn to “live with COVID, because it’s not going away”. He said asymptomatic testing of high-risk groups to minimise the spread of the disease was the next step. “We’re looking at being able to offer a gateway where people get tested and get results in 20 minutes when the new tests are available.” RACGP acting president, associate professor Ayman Shenouda, said: “The Altona North Medical Group practice … provides superior medical care for patients in Melbourne’s western suburbs”.
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal (centre) and the team. (Joe Mastroianni). 217076_05
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