Meet Mark Haseloff.
Mark is a member of the Cancer Statewide Clinical Network, one of eight Statewide Clinical Networks. He joined the CEIH as a consumer representative and is using his personal experience to advocate for better healthcare.
Mark was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17 and says that he received excellent care, but he also believes that there are some things that could be improved for others going through a similar journey.
Mark says, “Cancer has given me more than it has taken away and this is in no small part due to the advocacy work I have been able to be involved with. For me, I felt that there was no point surviving if I couldn’t serve the system that had saved my life. Being a consumer representative has given me such perspective and the motivation to contribute to make a difference.”
As part of the Cancer Statewide Clinical Network, Mark loves to look for opportunities to increase access to many of the programs and services that helped him, to make the journey easier for others. Prior to joining the CEIH, Mark has provided a consumer voice to Youth Cancer Services development across Australia through Canteen and in many other ways across SA, nationally and internationally for almost 12 years. Through these roles, Mark travelled to the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom to share his story and advocates for increased access to programs and services that can help cancer patients and their families. He also works to improve communication between patients and healthcare providers.
Mark says that he is passionate about advocating for better healthcare because he believes that everyone deserves access to quality care. He also believes that patients should be able to have a say in their own care.
Mark sees the opportunity to take learnings from how the health system came together so quickly to deliver better outcomes for patients during COVID-19. “The South Australian health system provided great communication, online support and discouraged misinformation — it was great to be part of it by ensuring consumer perspective was heard” Mark said.
To see how we the consumer voice helps us understand the consumer experience and use it to co-design services to improve the health experiences and outcomes of South Australians, see how we work with consumers.