Oral Presentation (max 20 mins including Q&A) National Men's Health Gathering 2025

mherv: Men's Health Education Rural Van (132021)

Barry Knowles 1
  1. Men's Health Education Rural Van (Mherv), Speers Point, NSW, Australia

Too many men in regional and rural Australia drop dead in the paddock, because they haven't had a simple health check. Even if they have symptoms, the Aussie "she'll be right" attitude often prevails. Mherv has travelled the country roads of NSW for eight months each year since 2017, offering free health checks for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol and has administered well over 20,000 checks, in the process saving hundreds of lives and getting some unexpected results.

Under the headings of each of the parts of the 'mherv' acronym: Men, Health, Education, Rural and Van, we look at how the service works, why it is useful and working, the statistics behind men's regional and rural health and ask if the service can be extended to other states and territories.