The Sharks and Vitalis Family Medical Service, in line with the Club’s partnership with Indigenous health services organisation Deadly Choices, are hosting a community health check event to coincide with Close the Gap Day.
To be held at PointsBet Stadium on Wednesday, March 17, the day invites Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the Central Eastern Sydney area to have their annual 715 Health Check completed by Vitalis’s friendly nurses and GPs.
Everyone who attends will have the opportunity to meet some of the Sharks NRL squad and to watch the team at a training session, while those who complete the health check will receive a Deadly Choices shirt.
The Sharks Close the Gap Day runs from 9am until 4pm, with morning tea and lunch provided and a range of other activities taking place throughout the day.
The event is limited to 20 health checks, with participants required to pre-register to attend.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have some of the poorest health outcomes of any group of people in the world and on average die 10 years younger than other Australians. In addition to the gap in life expectancy, they experience other chronic conditions such as diabetes sometimes as high as two times the rate of non-indigenous people.
The National Close the Gap Day (NCTGD) is a national day of action to pledge support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in their efforts to achieve Indigenous health equality by the year 2030.
Each year the support for NCTDG continues to grow, with people all over the country taking part in various events to create awareness of the Close the Gap Campaign.
NCTGD aims to bring people together, to share information — and most importantly — to take meaningful action in support of Indigenous health goals.
With a higher susceptibility to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart, lung and kidney diseases, it’s even more important for community to reduce the potential for and impacts of chronic diseases, with getting a health check regularly the first step.
A Health Check – or 715 as it is known – covers all aspects of health – from measuring blood pressure and sugar levels, to mental and emotional wellbeing.
The Health Check also assists in identifying the need for follow up with other health providers, such as optometrists, dentists, audiologists, or podiatrists (to name just a few).
The focus is on preventative health – encouraging community to not just consult a doctor when they are sick, but to visit their health provider and access support to prevent or better manage their chronic disease and remain healthy.
Health Checks are encouraged every 9-12 months, allowing a doctor to measure changes in a client’s wellbeing, therefore helping to prevent chronic disease from becoming reality, while reducing the impact of existing chronic disease in providing ongoing health management and support.
Focusing on the biggest contributors to chronic disease – smoking or tobacco use, physical activity and nutrition – is critical to closing the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
With limited places available, register now for the Sharks-Vitalis-Deadly Choices Close the Gap Day event. CLICK HERE to register
