GREEN CROSS PROJECT INC. C/- JAMISON ALLIOTT

LEVEL 43, 80 COLLINS STREET MELBOURNE 3000

Email: jamisonalliott@bigpond.com

Phone: (03) 9650 9786 Fax: (03) 9654 8250 ABN: 28 596 233 099

www.greencrossproject.org/

Green Cross Project Inc.

Annual Report For the year ending 30th June 2018

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Rev. Mons. Tony Toms Ms. Margaret Pell Mr. Cesar Lopez

Chairman’s Annual Report – AGM 2018

Green Cross Project Inc. is an incorporated body established by members of the Victorian Commandery of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem to oversee some of its charitable works in regions of the State of Victoria. The Mission Statement of Green Cross Project Inc. is appended to this report. Since 2016, we have continued to maintain authorisation from the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission to use the “registered charity tick emblem” (see cover page). We are honoured to have as our patron

Lady Potter AC CMRI, Grand Prior emeritus of the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem

The governance of Green Cross Project Inc. resides in a Committee of Management duly elected at the Annual General Meeting of Green Cross Project Inc. It consists of Dr. Walter W.J. Uhlenbruch AO, KLJ, OMLJ, President; Mr. John Herbig, KLJ, GOMLJ, Vice-President &Treasurer; Mr. Anthony Kennedy BJ, KLJ, Secretary; Members Rev. Mons. Anthony Toms, EGCLJ, KMLJ, Mr. Barry Jamison, KLJ, OMLJ, Mr. Max Carr, KLJ, CMLJ, Mr Cesar Lopez, OLJ, Mr. David Richards, CLJ, Ms. Davina Johnson OAM, CLJ, OMLJ, Ms. Margaret Pell, DLJ, and as Observer Dr. Robert Lea West, KLJ, Past-President Victorian Commandery, and Mr. John Molnar, KLJ, OMLJ President of the Victorian Commandery.

From left to right: Mr. John Herbig, Mr. David Richards, Dr. Walter W.J. Uhlenbruch AO, Ms. Davina Johnson OAM, Mr. Barry Jamison, Mr. Max Carr, Dr. Robert Lea West, Mr. Anthony Kennedy BJ

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Mr Chris Howie Homelessness

Support

Ms Andrea Gorman

Homelessness Support

Mr Ben Quinn Practice Lead Homelessness

Our partners, “cohealth”, continued to provide a broad range of services including community and allied health, medical, dental, counselling, support and outreach in the ever increasing western suburbs. This is the “cohealth” Green Cross Outreach Bus Steering Committee, led by Mr. Ian Symmons.

Mr Ian Symmons Senior Manager Homelessness

Ms Analuz Juarez Program Manager

Homelessness Allied Health

Ms Melissa Ireland Dental Nurse

Mr Luke Sultan Aboriginal Health Pro-motion and Chronic

Care

Mr Chris Platt Program Manager

AOD Treatment Services

Mr James Duffy Program Manager Homelessness &

Community Support

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Dr Kate Coles

General Practitioner Clinical Services & Quality

Vaan Phongsayan

Nurse, Community Health

Our fleet now consists of two modern vehicles, a Toyota Hi-Ace and a Toyota Coaster, both being equipped with a wheel-chair lift, air conditioning, cold water supply, multi-purpose treatment table, microwave and secure storage facilities. Both vehicles have been fitted with an awning over the passenger side to protect the wheel-chair lift during inclement weather. The larger vehicle has a fold-out BBQ fitted, which is in popular demand when the bus visits areas to look after youths and homeless people. The buses, which we operate in cooperation with cohealth, continue to provide assistance to the homeless and disadvantaged with health issues like dental, podiatry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy counselling, nutrition, drug and alcohol, mental health, and diabetes needs. Many of the people serviced by our buses do not have access to public transport and/or cannot afford taxis. Like in previous years, the buses have been used for special Christmas gift deliveries in December, including some 500 parcels of sweets provided by Green Cross Project Inc. On two occasions, we were able to make available to cohealth many hundreds of socks for distribution to the homeless. We are proud to announce that our buses have been involved in two new projects:

Mr Matt Chapman

Homelessness & Community Support

Mr Neal Corcoran

YSAS Team Leader Mhap Project, AOD Response West

Kirsten Mizis

Homelessness & Community Support Worker

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A) GP Street Doctor Service The cohealth Street Doctor Mobile GP Clinic sits within the cohealth Homeless Team which is comprised of multiple professionals and disciplines. The structure of the team is intended to provide people with a holistic and streamlined response in the provision of services. The cohealth Street Doctor Mobile GP clinic in partnership with the Green Cross Bus Project aims at improving access to health and support services to people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living in areas of significant disadvantage. This target group often falls through the gaps in accessing mainstream health services and as a result face significant health disadvantages and often haveongoing and complex health needs. The cohealth Street Doctor (with the use of the Green Cross Bus) is able to take primary health care services to the places where this target group lives and/or gathers. Locations include St Marks Community Centre, Fitzroy, Rooming Houses in CBD, Richmond, City of Yarrra and Footscray, Honey Hush Caravan Park Laverton, and Rebecca Walk. Opportunities include a flexible program model allowing for continual improvement as we are able to regularly service the locations we are visiting to ensure that the GP/health service is most effective to our target group. Two additional sites will be visited in July 2018 – Salvation Army, Bourke Street and Lentil as Anything Café, Abbotsford Convent. Additionally allied health services including podiatry, physio and dietician will be added to the mobile outreach clinic. We acknowledge the generous assistance provided by the Vera Moore Foundation in the form of seed funding for this project, which is expected to be self-financing in the near future. This is how our Street Doctor sees the project:

“I have been working with the Homeless team and on the Outreach Street Doctor bus since November 2017. I have been able to provide a variety of

services, just as I would in a normal clinic setting ; vaccinations for influenza and hepatitis; taken bloods ; performed health check-ups; provided referrals

for other services (dental, podiatry, psychology/psychiatry); and changed dressings. We have been able to see patients who are too unwell to leave their

rooms at the boarding house, patients who haven’t seen a doctor in years, patients who have a usual GP but need scripts for their regular medications,

and seen patients who are already clients of cohealth at other sites but couldn’t get in to see their usual doctor. I’ve seen lots of people with colds and

flus, plenty of bed bug bites, and unfortunately many people with mental health issues. It is a great team to work with and I think we are doing a

worthwhile job.”

Street Doctor Kate Coles attending to a patient in the Green Cross Outreach Bus (left)

and the Street Doctor Team (right)

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B) New co-operation with the Victorian Aids Council (VAC) So far, the VAC has used one of our Outreach Buses for their PRONTO! PROGRAM at three locations, Midsumma Carnival in Melbourne, Chillout Festival in Daylesford, and Pride 2018 in Castlemaine. VAC offers a free and rapid HIV test mainly for members of the LGBTQIA+ communities. VAC summarises the experience with our outreach bus as follows: “A fully kitted-out medical van was secured from cohealth, in collaboration with the Green Cross Outreach Bus Services. The van was positioned in fronht of the VAC & PRONTO! Stalls. The van was adequately fitted, and the layout was functional with both testing and having a conversation/risk assessment with clients. It also provided privacy, and had air conditioning and disability access, which was an advantage compared to the vans used previously.”

Green Cross Outreach Bus at VAC Rapid HIV testing site

Our own website, www.greencrossproject.org/ is maintained by Mr Anthony Kennedy and we express our gratitude for his ongoing support.

We continue to receive the support of Vic Roads who waive the annual registration fees for the buses and we gratefully acknowledge their valuable assistance. As in previous years, we only pay the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) insurance for the outreach vehicles. I would also like to extend my personal thanks to all the members of the Green Cross Committee of Management, (refer page 2 for details), who were of great help during the year. Particular mention is made of Mr. Jamison’s generosity in making his boardroom available for the regular meetings of the Green Cross Project Inc. Committee of Management.

I gratefully acknowledge their support and that of those members, who attended our Committee Meetings, as well as all members of Green Cross Project Inc. As the Financial Statements for the year under review show, Green Cross Project Inc. continues to be in reasonably good shape. A copy of the Financial Report for the year ending 30th June 2018 is appended to, and forms part of, this Annual Report. It is noted that the Victorian Government has introduced legislative changes that no longer require incorporated associations with a turnover of between $250,000 and $999,999 to provide audited financials. Instead, they can provide financials audited or reviewed by a member of an appropriate professional body (ICAA, CPA, NIA). It is reasonable to assume that operational and maintenance costs will increase in future. It is therefore prudent that we strive to maintain more substantial reserves to ensure the continuing serviceability of the outreach vehicles.

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We express our gratitude to all our members, friends and sponsors, for their generous support. At the same time, I extend a warm welcome to the new members who joined Green Cross Project Inc. in the course of the last year. Without their valuable assistance we would not be able to continue our service to the socially marginalised. Our particular thanks go to the members of the Victorian Commandery of the Order of St. Lazarus for their continued support. We are greatly indebted to Primrose Lady Potter AC. CMRI who graciously accepted the patronage of our organisation, to our Grand Prior emeritus, Dr. Willoughby Bailey, AO, for the personal interest he continues to show in our work, and to the new Grand Prior for the Order in Australia, the Hon. Gavin Fielding. Finally, our most sincere thanks also go to our major donors for their generous assistance. We believe that Green Cross Project Inc. will continue to provide valuable services to the community in accordance with our charter and mission. I commend the Annual Report for your perusal and acceptance.

Dr Walter W.J. Uhlenbruch AO KLJ OMLJ Chairman, Green Cross Project Inc.

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Green Cross Project Inc. ABN: 28 596 233 099

Green Cross Project Inc.

Green Cross Project Inc. is a public benefit charity incorporated body established by members of the Victorian

Commandery of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem to oversee some of its charitable

works in regions of the State of Victoria.

The management resides in a Committee of Management duly elected at the Annual General Meeting of Green

Cross Project Inc.

Mission Statement Green Cross Project Inc. works to provide a health management service to meet the needs of homeless,

disadvantaged, and marginalised young and adult members in the community in relation to health maintenance,

disease prevention, primary care and support of the highest standards, which, with Christian values of

compassion, justice, honesty, equality and benevolence, recognizes the needs and rights of the individual,

regardless of gender, race, creed, and social standing.

It provides an Green Cross Outreach Buses on a regional basis to assist health workers and community members to gain and provide information about issues relating to people at risk.

Goals The goals of the project are:

To develop and maintain relevant and up-to-date education programs on health and healthy lifestyle

To provide appropriate information and counseling concerning disease recognition, prevention, and management

To establish and maintain facilities and services for the early diagnosis and referral for treatment of people at risk

To cooperate with services such as cohealth to achieve these goals

To evaluate the service regularly in order to revise such services according to need

To initiate and participate in research projects relevant to issues concerned with health and healthy lifestyle management for people at risk

To carry out the mission according to the philosophy of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus

of Jerusalem and the Christian values contained therein, mindful of the multicultural society in which we

live

(As approved by the Committee of Management in July 2016)

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Green Cross Outreach Buses

In the mid-nineties, the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, at the request of the then

Minister for Youth Affairs, established a pilot program in Dandenong because of the exceptionally high

percentage of youth unemployment in that area. A bus, originally known as “Ken’s Bus”, had been donated by

Grenda’s (now Ventura) for outreach purposes. Green Cross Project Inc. was granted sole access to provide the

initial Green Cross Mobile Health Service. This bus has since been replaced by another 64-seater bus, which has

been converted into a mobile consulting suite in the rear compartment with the forward compartment containing a

meeting area, coffee making facilities, information stands and television and DVD equipment. The bus is also

designed to include a BBQ and a retractable canopy for use when the bus is stationary.

Until the end of 2012, the Outreach Bus was used in partnership with Southern Health Outreach Programs,

including Southern Health Greater Dandenong Community Health Service Youth Program, Southern Health

Mental Health Outreach Team, Southern Health Primary Care Community Outreach Team (incl. Drug and

Alcohol Service), Royal District Nursing Service (Homeless Persons Program) and local community services.

When Southern Health were no longer able to support the program, Green Cross Project Inc. was fortunate in

being able to find new partners in the Western Region Health Centre (WRHC). In 2014, WRHC (covering

Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Brimbank, Wyndham, Melton and Hume) merged with two kindred organisations, viz.

North Yarra Community Health (covering Collingwood, Carlton and Fitzroy) and Doutta Galla Community Health

(covering Melbourne and Moonee Valley) and the new organisation is now known as cohealth.

In mid 2015, a second outreach bus GCOB-2, a converted Toyota HiAce vehicle, was added to our fleet and at

the end of the 2015/16 FY, a medium-sized Toyota Coaster Bus, GCOB-3, was purchased.

The Steering Committee overseeing the Green Cross Outreach Bus activities includes, in addition to office

bearers of the Green Cross Project Inc. Committee of Management, officers of cohealth under the leaderhip of

their Senior Manager Homelessness, Mr. Ian Symmons. The Steering Committee meets regularly throughout the

year.

The prime services offered by the Outreach Bus team include

Health education,

Disease prevention,

Primary consultation,

Dental care

Counselling,

Referrals, and

General information and assistance.

(As approved by the Committee of Management in July 2016)