On a mission to make equitable diabetes care a reality for all Queenslanders, PA Hospital Endocrinologist Dr Pieter Jansen is redesigning the standard of community healthcare.
Developing the Diabetes Street Hub in partnership with Micah Projects for the last two years, Dr Jansen has worked tirelessly to achieve one purpose: to reduce barriers to diabetes healthcare for people experiencing unstable housing conditions.
As he balances clinical work at PA Hospital’s Diabetes Street Hub, the Inala Indigenous Endocrinology Clinic, and outreach visits to rural and remote communities, Dr Jansen says it is interactions with local communities that drive his vision.
“It is a privilege to work with people who have not always been dealt the best cards in life and to give them support in the management of their diabetes. I learn a lot from peoples’ strength and resilience,” said Pieter.
"To live with diabetes is challenging for anyone, but if you struggle with basic needs such as stable housing or access to healthy food, this is increasingly difficult and not always top priority.”
Dr Jansen’s interest in community-based care has seen him lend his expertise to the Metro South Health Addiction and Mental Health Service (AMHS) in Woolloongabba, the Inala Primary Care Clinic, and the Inala Indigenous Health Service. He also delivers endocrinology care to rural and remote communities in the Outreach and Telehealth Service of the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, connecting remote Queensland communities with closer-to-home care.
Established by Prof Tony Russell, the partnership with Micah Projects was handed over to Dr Jansen in 2022. Working closely with consumers and clinicians to grow the service offering since that time, Dr Jansen says flexibility and innovative thinking have been key to the program’s success.
“Prof Tony Russell deserves a lot of credit for starting this partnership with Micah, which has been part of a number of projects to improve diabetes care for the wider community. We hope that by offering a service in the community where we can work with people in a more flexible way, we can find creative solutions to improve outcomes for people in ways that work for them.”
Looking ahead, Dr Jansen is eager to expand the service to reach more vulnerable Queenslanders, and says there is still much progress to be made.
“The aim is to increase support for patients, other care providers who look after people with diabetes who live in unstable housing conditions, to build connections with other community-based organisations that provide services and support to people in unstable housing and to raise awareness about diabetes and prevention in the community.”
Celebrated for his caring, person-centred ethos and innovative approach to community diabetes care, Dr Jansen was awarded the Metro South Health Staff Health Equity Award, for which he says he is humbled to be recognised as part of a dedicated team.
“It came as a big surprise but I feel very grateful and honoured. The project is still relatively small and developing and I see it as an encouragement and motivation to keep developing the service. The award belongs to the whole team in recognition of their hard work and to all the people out there in the community who try to make lives a little better for people who are doing it tough,” he said.
Congratulations on this achievement, Dr Jansen, and thank you for your continued commitment to improving health equity.