Led by La Trobe University researchers, the Heart Health Check Community Project will enable eligible residents to assess their cardiovascular risk from home, or at their local pharmacy or community health centre using kits co-designed with rural clinicians and health consumers.
The project will launch on 1 May across north-west Victoria and far west New South Wales.
It aims to address major gaps in heart disease screening by trialling accessible pathways that reduce common barriers, including long wait times, travel distances and out-of-pocket expenses, that can prevent people from obtaining routine heart health checks.
Cardiovascular disease remains the biggest killer in Australia, with one cardiovascular-related death occurring every eight minutes. Despite this, uptake of heart health checks nationally is less than one per cent of the population.
Health disparities are particularly pronounced in regional and remote areas. Mildura experiences about 40 per cent more cardiovascular incidents than metropolitan areas such as Melbourne, with the Mallee region having the highest rates in Victoria.
Associate Professor Simon Egerton, Deputy Head of Department for Science and Information Technology and Digital Health for Rural Equity research lead at La Trobe, said the Heart Health Check Community Project was developed through extensive community co-design, which identified major barriers in the current model of care.
“Too many people in regional and remote communities miss out on routine heart health checks because the existing system doesn’t work for them,” Dr Egerton said.
“We identified major barriers in the current model of care, including limited access to GPs, long travel distances to pathology services, a lack of bulk-billed appointments, out-of-pocket costs and the need for multiple appointments across different days to complete a check.
“By streamlining access using simple technology and trusted community settings, this project has the potential to be truly transformational, particularly in communities without specialist services.”
Each kit includes portable devices that allow eligible participants to measure key cardiovascular risk indicators such as blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol. Tests can be completed at home, with results provided by phone or mail, or accessed through community pharmacies and health centres, including Terry White Chemmart and Sunraysia Community Health Services.
Across the border In New South Wales, local health services are playing an important role in supporting community participation in the project.
Carrie Barlow, Primary Health Nurse at Buronga HealthOne in the Far West Local Health District, said the initiative reflected a strong focus on community-led healthcare.
“We are excited to contribute to this important grassroots initiative, which has the potential to drive real change in community health outcomes.
“Being part of such innovative, evidence‑based research aligns with our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our local communities.”
The project is supported by more than $900,000 in funding from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund, secured through a 2024 Survivorship Care and Collaborative Research Prioritisation grant.
Launching on Friday, 1 May, the project will invite people across regional communities in north-west Victoria and far west NSW, including Mildura, Marbein, Lockington, Ouyen, Buronga, Wentworth and Dareton, to take part in the community rollout involving about 26,000 eligible participants.
The initiative is open to people aged 45 to 79 who have not had a heart health check with their doctor in the past 12 months and do not have a diagnosis of heart disease, chronic kidney disease or inherited high cholesterol.
Data collected throughout the rollout will help researchers demonstrate the project’s reach and impact, supporting future conversations about how community-based heart health screening models could be expanded beyond a trial setting to benefit more regional and remote Australians.
Visit www.oneheart.au to learn more about the Heart Health Check Community Project.
Photo: Katrina Umback with a heart health check kit
Media enquiries
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