Gisborne Registered Master Builders

Tui Te Ora Community Health Centre

Joint project set to improve  lives                                                                        

Improving the lives of people with chronic illnesses is the major catalyst behind the Tui Te Ora Community Health Centre building project launched by Gisborne Registered Master Builders and Tairawhiti District Health .

Together the two organisations have made a commitment to build the centre, essentially a one-stop-shop for people with complex, long term medical conditions.

Tui Te Ora translates to Weaving Together Wellness.

The aims of the centre and the services it will be a base for are to:

· improve access to services for patients

· improve outcomes for patients and to do so equitably (i.e. to reduce inequalities in health outcomes)

· enable patients to see multiple health care professionals on a single visit, recognising that many people have several health problems.

· be welcoming & accessible for patients and family/whanau

· be welcoming for those for whom access & outcomes are currently worse, in particular, for Maori and for Pacific peoples.

Gisborne Registered Master Builders offered their services for the project as TDH was not in a financial position to completely fund the building.

Through the generosity of its members and suppliers, who are donating time and building materials, the centre can now forge ahead sooner and be built to a high specification without the need to defer other services or developments.

Gisborne Registered Master Builders President Kath Kitchen said the organisation made the decision to take on the project as a symbol of their commitment to the Tairawhiti community.

“We have an overwhelming response from the trades people and suppliers in the community and we are confident of delivering a quality building to showcase our work,” said Mrs Kitchen.

“The people with diabetes and chronic illness that will use the building will benefit from a purpose-built centre and the Master Builders are looking forward to working together to provide this facility.”

Francis Yates, Master Builders project manager overseeing the build, said he had visited many suppliers and spoken to lots of sub-contractors.

“We have been really heartened by the offers of support from them,” he said.

Tairawhiti District Health Chief Executive Jim Green said the centre would improve health outcomes for people with diabetes, lung, kidney and heart disease and ensure that improved health outcomes were equitably distributed across the population, by improving the delivery of specialist services.

“It has been recognised that a co-ordinated “one-stop shop” approach is most effective for people with long-term conditions and while a community base is important, it is also necessary to link into hospital services because those using the services require diagnostics and other services that are best provided in a hospital setting,” said Mr Green.

“We are fortunate in Tairawhiti to have excellent primary care services and the centre will augment them with additional support for people with very complex needs while at the same time be a base for a team that will join with primary care in achieving more. “

The centre will house a range of expert health professionals including; Specialist Doctors, Psychologists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Dieticians, Retinal Screening Service and Podiatrists.

Clinical Nurse Specialist Natasha Ashworth, who is managing the project, said the aim was to provide a welcoming, accessible hub for the management of complex chronic illness in Tairawhiti.

“The health professionals working there will be equipped to provide excellent care that is uniquely designed for each individual. All aspects of a person’s health will be considered as important and will be catered for,” she said.

“Tairawhiti has a great need and this centre will provide great care.”

Tairawhiti District Health and Gisborne Registered Master Builders would like to thank the following people for their generous contribution towards the project: