SHARING CEREMONY: Carterton mayor Ron Mark recruits Charlie Heard, 10 and Lucy Monastra, 5, to help him cut the ribbon to the refurbished Carterton Medical Integrated Family Health Care Centre.PHOTO/ANDREW BONALLACK WTA280614ABMEDICAL
SHARING CEREMONY: Carterton mayor Ron Mark recruits Charlie Heard, 10 and Lucy Monastra, 5, to help him cut the ribbon to the refurbished Carterton Medical Integrated Family Health Care Centre.PHOTO/ANDREW BONALLACK WTA280614ABMEDICAL
A quiet GP practice that opened in 1989 now has 6000 patients on its register and lives up to its name of "intergrated", with services from psychology to massage - as well as good old-fashioned doctoring.
The Carterton Medical Integrated Family Health Care Centre had a ribbon-cutting on Saturday morningto celebrate its refurbishment, effectively the joining of two separate but neighbouring buildings into one operation.
Doctor Craig Cherry said the centre offers midwifery, physiotherapy, massage, audiology, optometry, a blood lab, counselling, as well as a GP practice with registered nurse practitioners.
"All these facilities now operate out of one facility," he said.
The concept of integrated health care, a government initiative to drive more sophisticated health care into communities, rather than hospitals, sounded like "a good idea" for Carterton, he said.
Carterton Mayor Ron Mark, who cut the ribbon with help from Charlie Heard, 10, and Lucy Monastra, 5, said Carterton Medical had started from "very small beginnings" and was supported immediately by the community.
"As the community has grown, so has the Carterton medical centre.
"I would like to give thanks to Craig, for the small beginnings here, recognising the needs of the community.
