Gangs and government departments don't have much history of collaboration, but more than 200 Mongrel Mob members and their families gathered to get checked out by health providers at the WDHB event Hearty Hauora last weekend.
The Waikato District Health Board is on a mission to make healthcare accessible to more people via 'virtual health', in which people can line up services online.
When the local chapter of the mob contacted them, executive Darrin Hackett devised Hearty Hauora.
On the day, people were engaged and there was a really positive vibe, he says.
"They went to different stalls, they had their blood pressure checked, their Hepatitis C checked, a whole raft of different checks."
It was the first time some of the people had interacted with a healthcare professional outside of the emergency department.
"If you come from any part of society that feels marginalised or challenged by [traditional medical] settings, it's quite confronting … If you were to wear a patch into these places it makes everyone feel uncomfortable."
Contact between the mob and healthcare workers is at the same time confronting and positive for both sides, and the Waikato District Health Board is working on how to maximise a sense of respect between those giving and receiving care, Hackett says.
The WDHB will use Hearty Hauora as a blueprint to engage with other groups that feel marginalised by the mainstream health care system, he says.
