24/7 SUPPORT LINE

The Trans-Help Foundation Heath and Support Unit was officially launched at the Sydney Truck Show on the 7th of August 2008.

The unit now prowls along freight corridors and at truck events throughout the country supporting our hardworking truck drivers, providing preliminary medical checks and offering support to the drivers.

CEO, Dianne Carroll says ‘We know many drivers are unable to have health checks when they go home as it can be up to two weeks before they can get a doctor’s appointment, and by then they are back on the road”

The Health and Support Unit has enable drivers to be checked on the road for high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, depression, vascular disease and also a variety of support brochures covering road trauma, cancer etc... Trans-Help believes this unique program is ensuring the industry a healthier one, whilst also reducing fatalities on our roads.

Each person who visits the Health  & Support Unit have there results recorded to enable us to gain statistics and give us an over all understanding of the health and welfare issues on our roads.

The following are a result of the data we have collected until November 2009.

Extremely High Blood Pressure  19%
High Blood Pressure                       28%
Moderate Blood Pressure            37%
Normal Blood Pressure                 16%

On Medication                                  22%
Serious                                                 24%
Mild                                                       39%
Unknown (Never advised)          25%

It is clearly evident that there is some major health concerns out on the road, but also we don’t loose site of the fact that we have identified similar concerns with office staff when we visit depots and Truck Shows with the Health and Support Unit.

1.    Example 1: We were invited by Cummins to have the Health & Support Unit at their Drive Day at Winton in 2008. We provided blood pressure checks to Cummins patrons on the day, with several reading concerning. Several were advised to follow it up with their GP. We were later advised that the son of one company owners who attended did follow it up with his GP and discovered he had a serious heart condition which resulted in surgery.

2.    Example 2: A driver called to the Health and Support Unit complaining about the pains in his legs. The nurse on duty identified a major clot in his upper thigh. He was sent straight to hospital and was operated on. He had been suffering the pain for some six week, but couldn’t get into a doctor.