PRESS RELEASE: The time for talk is over – Interim report shines light on medical transition need for veterans

[BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – 23 AUGUST 2022] GO2 Health, the contemporary veteran’s specialist medical centre, says the time for talk is over after the interim report into veteran suicide was recently released by the Royal Commission.

Co-owners of GO2 Health, Mr Rod Martin and ex-military General Practitioner Dr Kieran McCarthy, have made ongoing contributions to the Royal Commission throughout the inquiry by providing a proven solution with measurable results, without the need for additional funding.

Dr McCarthy says the solution is to focus the current funding into the integration of medical outcomes for veterans and their families, like the GO2 Health model, to prioritise medicine first.

“We said before, and we’ll say it again, we don’t need more money thrown at DVA, we just need the money spent differently; a change in delivery would immediately lower the risks facing veterans,” Dr McCarthy said.

The clinic owners state the interim report uncovers that transitioning members are at a substantially higher risk of suicide due to the lack of alignment between transition and claims, the absence of medical support structures as well as the loss of community throughout the transition journey and beyond – all points GO2 Health has been successfully addressing, with measured outcomes, for veterans and their families since its inception over a decade ago.

GO2’s co-founder Mr Rod Martin says the time for talk is over and the time to act is now, publicly inviting government to act.

“We call upon the Hon Matt Keogh MP, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, to act today so harm can be minimised to our veterans. We are the largest veteran clinic in the country and publicly invite you Minister Keogh to see firsthand our solution. We are calling on you to protect and serve our veterans as they have done for us,” said Mr Martin.

Mr Martin says the success of GO2 Health in the veteran community is due to the integration of care of all support structures, with medicine at the heart of the transition journey. By prioritising medicine first, veterans and their families, are better placed to access all the other support mechanisms available and necessary for a successful transition into a thriving civilian life.

“Our track record at GO2 Health shows what early intervention and community minded medicine can do. We’re a private business who have forged the way for other public and private enterprises to rally together to support veterans and their families,” Mr Martin said.

“We’ve built a community integrating the veteran and their family with medicine at the heart. This way veterans can access pathways we have built with our corporate partners including ACU, TAFE Queensland, and Rheinmettal, for tertiary education, vocational training and employment, and get the right support at the right time in the right frame of mind, creating better outcomes for all,” Mr Martin said.

GO2 Health are publicly calling on all veteran support groups to galvanise on a solution so that risk is minimised to our veterans.