St John Giving and HIF have unveiled their first partnership initiative to support the WA community, with the launch of a new expanded Bunbury Community Transport Service (CTS).
Serviced by first-aid trained St John WA volunteer drivers, the Bunbury CTS features a fully equipped Honda Odyssey with automatic external defibrillators and first aid kits to support a safe journey.
Bunbury and it surrounds was selected for a service expansion through the HIF partnership and St John Giving following demand from the local community, which embraced CTS when it started in early 2021.
The service is set to enrich the lives of residents living in the South West by providing access to safe, reliable, and affordable transportation. It is used by elderly residents and those with moderate disabilities, as well as their carers, by providing safe transportation to support accessibility to vital healthcare services.
St John WA CEO, Michelle Fyfe welcomed the new service that will help connect isolated members of the WA community to important healthcare services.
“With the support of our St John Giving Founding Partner HIF, we’re delighted to be launching this vital service to help connect regional residents of the Bunbury and South West community to important healthcare services,” she said.
“St John WA’s CTS exists to serve those who cannot use mainstream public transport systems or their usual form of transport. With evidence highlighting a growing and aging population across Western Australia, it’s vital we begin to look at establishing an infrastructure to support our residents. Through the support of our partners including HIF, we’re able to support the elderly and vulnerable to access equitable healthcare and remain active in supporting regional Western Australian communities.”
HIF CEO Justin James said the CTS was just one of the many exciting initiatives HIF was bringing to life through its $200,000 partnership with St John Giving.
“We are very excited to announce our first initiative with St John WA. At HIF, one of our fundamental goals is to provide greater access to quality healthcare for our members and the wider community. This service is in great demand in metro Perth, so we are thrilled to assist St John in expanding their footprint for this service into the South West,” he said.
St John Giving launched late last year as the major fundraising arm of St John WA. Launching in July 2021, the partnership with HIF will span two years with a series of initiatives planned to support the Western Australian Community.
Alongside servicing patients with transportation to and from their hospital and specialist appointments, St John WA’s Community Transport Service also provides an option to have a carer accompany patients at no extra cost. The service is currently offered in multiple locations across Perth, Goldfields, Great Southern, Wheatbelt and now growing in the South West.
Watch a quick video snippet from our launch day.
To find out more about this partnership, visit our St John Giving webpage.