GO2 Health on ABC Radio: advocating for Veteran Wellbeing Through Healthcare and Community
This morning, our co-founder Rod Martin joined ABC Radio Brisbane with Loretta Ryan and Craig Zonca to reflect on the one-year anniversary of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide’s final report.
It was a valuable opportunity to look at what has been delivered for veterans over the past year – and to advocate for why healthcare must sit at the centre of veteran wellbeing.
Key points Rod shared:
- While only a small number of the Commission’s recommendations have been fully delivered, there are encouraging cultural shifts beginning to take hold
- The average age of veterans supported through REFORGE is only 36 – yet too many leave service without the health support, transition planning or life skills they need to thrive
- True intervention should begin before discharge, ideally six months out, with wraparound medical, mental health and life skills support
- At GO2 Health and REFORGE, we’ve built a working model of trauma-informed, interdisciplinary care – delivering outcomes like reduced depression and opioid use, and improved confidence, productivity, and work participation
- Collective responsibility and collaboration are essential to changing the system which is why we link closely with other ex-service organisations to ensure veterans can access the full range of services available.
At GO2 Health and REFORGE, our mission is to reforge veterans into the high-performing assets they were trained to be – not leave them broken. And we’re committed to growing this model across the country, while supporting other services to link together effectively for the long-term benefit of all veterans.
A sincere thank you to producer Holly Green for her openness and care in facilitating such an important conversation on-air.
The interview is well worth a listen and you can hear the full ABC interview here
