Healing hand: Naturopath Janine Castle at the Norlane clinic with Bethany Sandford.
KIM WATERS
A free heath care service for low-income earners is filling a void in Geelong’s northern suburbs, according to an organiser.
Norlane Healing Hands’ Kathy Ryan said the volunteer-run service was helping people who could not afford other “over-priced” medical centres.
Ms Ryan said the service operated out of Norlane Baptist Church hall half a day a week, offering acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and consultations with an osteopath and a naturopath.
“A lot of people on healthcare cards can’t afford this kind of medical care so they generally just go without,” she said.
“We’ve seen the benefits of traditional medicine and we want this kind of health care to be available to everyone, even those on a low incomes.”
Ms Ryan said the clinic’s practitioners were all fully qualified and had their own insurance.
“The practitioners spend up to an hour with each patient and we ask for a donation of $5 but if people can’t afford that we aren’t going to turn them away,” she said.
“All patients need to have a healthcare card or a concession card or be on a pension to qualify for treatment.”
