Take the Bus to Health

A HEALTH bus is hitting popular nightspots on Teesside in a bid to improve sexual health among revellers.

On Friday night the Hartlepool Families First bus moved away from its weekday service to operate for the first time on a weekend evening.

The bus, which parked outside Yates on Victoria Road, was operating as part of a joint initiative between Hartlepool Families First and Cleveland Police. It is due to come to Middlesbrough on June 9 to raise awareness of mens’ health issues, in a drive run by Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust.

Paul Thompson, manager of Hartlepool Families First, said: “The health bus goes to ten different locations across Hartlepool offering advice, blood pressure checks and cholesterol, and diabetes checks. What we’re trying to do here is promote sexual health and give out free condoms.”

Mr Thompson said many of the people out on a Friday night were hoping to meet a partner and the advice from the bus could help them to be more sensible.

He added: “This is an experiment to see if it’s going to work and we’re trying to get different age ranges – teenagers and middle- aged people – who are out on a Friday night.”

(c) 2008 Evening Gazette – Middlesbrough. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.