Musos Just What the Doctor Ordered

Last year, the purchase of the Silver City Cinema by the Club saved an important entertainment venue from closing down. If it were to shut its doors, the 17,000-strong population would have been forced to travel over 3,000 kilometres to see a film on the big screen.

Moving away from the Club’s original business model, they are now setting out to operate a much-needed GP medical clinic. 

Shifting into the health space is not uncharted territory for clubs, but only a handful have made the decision to begin operating GP clinics themselves.

At present, wait times for Broken Hill residents to see a GP can stretch out to three months, with some locals choosing to drive three hours to Mildura, six hours to Adelaide, or fly to Sydney just to see a doctor. 

The new clinic will address some of the shortfalls in medical care that exist in Broken Hill and the smaller towns that surround it. It will initially include one doctor, a registered nurse and an enrolled nurse, however there are plans to eventually expand with additional medical staff. 

Conveniently located as a part of the recently rescued cinema complex, the GP clinic will offer a full range of services including immunisation, seniors’ care and mental health support.  

In a true show of industry spirit, the other clubs in town are also on board, helping out with the renovation and fit-out of the clinic through the ClubsGRANTS program.

Michael Boland, Secretary Manager of the Club, says the inspiration for such an undertaking came about after listening to a talk by Mounties Group CEO Dale Hunt at a recent Club Managers' Association Australia regional conference, during which he described similar work Mounties had done in the health space. 

“I contacted ClubsNSW and they connected me with two other clubs that are operating clinics,” says Michael.

“It kind of went from there and we started looking around for doctors that might want to relocate to Broken Hill. We were lucky in finding a doctor who was a former local who wanted to return but had concerns about the cost of setting the clinic up and the stress of managing staff. These are areas that clubs excel in, so a partnership was born. 

“This is not a replacement doctor — this is a new doctor in a new surgery that should help alleviate some of the pressure with the ability to see more than 140 patients a week.”

The GP clinic will operate six days a week and is set to open its doors later this month.