The Western Heights community has greater support for mothers and babies with a new pilot programme.
Health service provider Tipu Ora is now working alongside the Western Heights Health Centre on Brookland Rd to provide the Kia Puawai programme, which was launched yesterday.
It will be working with mothers and babies and provide health and social services for pregnant mothers, babies and children. It will work in partnership with Dr Alastair McLean and Mary McLean, the practice owners of the health centre. Tipu Ora will be the lead provider contract-holder for the two-year pilot that is funded by the Ministry of Health.
"We're really excited, it's been a long time coming, a general practitioner interacting with community providers in a sustainable way," Dr McLean said. "This is the first time we've really had a big organisation partner with us in the community."
Tipu Ora executive manager Raewyn Bourne said they would deliver a service focused primarily on maternity, early parenting, GP and Well Child-Tamariki Ora services which targeted families in the western suburbs of Rotorua.