Culturally safe medical hub stops men 'walking out the door'

There can be many barriers to someone seeking medical help, including location, language and cultural sensitivities.

This is particularly so for Indigenous men living in northern Western Australia.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows men are less likely to see a GP than women, and one-in-five men do not visit a doctor at all.

In Kununurra, a remote town 3,000km north of Perth, a dedicated Men's Hub opened earlier this year to break down the barriers that stop Indigenous men from accessing timely care.

The hub, which offers walk-in GP appointments and social, emotional and addiction support, is operated by Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service (OVAHS).

OVAHS chief operating officer Caleb Edelsten said the centre was opened after the organisation noticed "reduced engagement by male patients".

"Men more broadly engage less with health services," he said.

Mr Edelsten said since the centre opened, about 180 men had used it and many returned for follow-ups.

Chronic conditions, chronic avoidance

The Institute's data also shows Indigenous men are 2.3 times more likely to experience disease and have significantly higher rates of chronic and acute conditions, such as kidney diseases, diabetes and mental and substance use disorders.

Kununurra's Dr Milo Murphy urged men to present to the GP earlier.

"There's going to be less complications down the road," he said.

Dr Murphy said he had seen new patients over the past month for a check-up or "men's business," a term used to refer to STI checks.

"These are people who haven't been to OVHAS or to a health service before," he said.

"So it's the first time they've actually sought help because I would assume they feel comfortable going to a service which only caters for men."

Culturally sensitive care

Men's hub manager Shaun Cox, who is also an Aboriginal Health Practitioner, said it was important to create a safe environment.

"The first thing they see is blokes in the reception, which makes it easier for them to come in and more relaxed, " he said.

Mr Cox said cultural laws, which prevented Aboriginal men from speaking with and being near some female family members, made it difficult for men to attend the clinic for appointments.

"We are all Aboriginal men."

As a field officer, Indigenous man Michael Merrison, known as Tucker, helps local men get to appointments.

"We go and go; there was one patient… 15 times we had to go there," he said, explaining how it can take a few attempts to reach patients.

But Mr Merrison said trust could make a big difference in improving health outcomes.

"As soon as you pull up, they say, 'OVAHS is here, Oh, Tucker is here'. So you build up a relationship," he said.

Reaching more men

Gija man Peter Brandy is one of the patients at the Men's Hub.

He remembers growing up on a cattle station where you could "have a bad cold and struggle with it for six weeks".

Mr Brandy said things had improved for Aboriginal men and the Men's Hub was part of that change.

Meanwhile Mr Edelsten said OVAHS would like to offer more GP appointments in the future if funding allowed.