A cardiologist’s vision to bring diagnostic cardiac services to the Queensland bush led to the creation of ‘Heart of Australia’ – a fleet of purpose-built clinics on wheels that will now be boosted to take the National Lung Cancer Screening Program to Australians living in rural, remote and First Nations communities.
In 2024, Heart of Australia announced it will be expanding its fleet to 11 mobile clinics to help co-deliver the National Lung Cancer Screening Program beyond Queensland- to the most far-flung communities around Australia.
“Queensland’s mining populations are at risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coal worker’s black lung disease (pneumoconiosis), cancers, and other respiratory diseases,” said Ewan Wylie, Head of Business Development for Heart of Australia. “That’s why we created a lung screening service to support earlier detection for working and retired miners.”
Heart of Australia’s lung health screening service is delivered via their bespoke radiology truck, ‘HEART 5’, which incorporates the world’s first battery-powered mobile CT scanner – for which Heart of Australia acquired a design patent.
Heart 5 Yowah truck clinic
“HEART 5 can provide comprehensive diagnostics in any location, and access to examinations and diagnostics that these mining communities otherwise may never have had access to. Its capabilities fit the needs of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program perfectly,” said Ewan.
The five new trucks being added to the Heart of Australia fleet are based on the design of HEART 5. Each truck measures 26 metres long and six metres wide and includes a battery-operated CT scanner, X-ray machines, radiology services and diagnostic and consulting rooms for both cardiac and respiratory conditions.
Ewan Wylie, Head of Business Development, Heart of Australia
Ewan and his team have been working with the Department of Health and Aged Care, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, and state health services, to establish where and how services will be delivered.
“We’ve been trying to identify communities with higher lung cancer incidence and mortality rates, and those without infrastructure,” he said. “It’s important for us to see the different healthcare approaches and infrastructure available in each state, so we know how to support patients moving through these systems,” said Ewan.
“The VCCC Alliance Lung Cancer Symposium will give me the opportunity to meet other stakeholders and healthcare professionals, and to explore how things will work ‘on the ground’ while we are in their communities.”
- Ewan Wylie
Dr Rolf Gomes in a truck clinic
Dr Rolf Gomes set up Heart of Australia in 2014 after seeing the gap in diagnostic cardiac services while undertaking some of his clinical training in Western Queensland.
“But what started as a pilot program has become much more multi-faceted,” said Ewan. “In addition to the cardiology and lung screening programs, Heart of Australia provides clinical research trial services; access to the latest medicines; GP in-person training events to help them upskill and break down professional isolation and training to allied health and medicine students to support a long-term vision of ensuring sustainability of health care in these more isolated communities," he said.
““In the rural and remote areas we service, 26 per cent of patients identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. We work closely with Aboriginal Health Services to ensure we design individualised services to meet community and cultural needs. We’re proud that, in 2023, Heart of Australia was recognised through the Queensland Premier’s Reconciliation Awards as a Finalist for our work with Palm Island Community Company.”
Local relationships are important to the organisation, and many of Heart of Australia’s supporters – which include trucking, resource and healthcare organisations – operate in the regions serviced by the mobile clinics.
Truck clinic on the move
“In rural and remote areas, it’s often hard for people to do multi day trips away from their property to access healthcare, which is why it’s important to bring the service to them.
“The feedback from the communities we have served to date has been very positive. The idea of bringing new services to their towns and communities is exciting for them, particularly as many of them have watched banks and post offices disappear. They know the range of health services offered by Heart of Australia have been created to fill the gap of available health services in their area. There’s a real appreciation for what’s been put together.”
Ewan Wylie will participate in the session ‘Building a person-centred culturally safe model of care for other priority populations’ at the VCCC Alliance Lung Cancer Screening Symposium, on Friday 23 May.
You can view the program or register to attend in-person or online here.
