The bold way that Whanganui Regional Primary Health Organisation has tackled community health problems earned praise at a national forum on Saturday.
The primary health organisation (PHO), only 18 moanths old, was asked to give a presentation at a national Ministry of Health PHO conference at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre. The aim of the presentation was to highlight initiatives critical to delivering health care outside hospitals in 2010.
The Whanganui Regional PHO chief executive officer, Judith MacDonald, said seven initiatives were showcased in the talk.
One was Whanganui Accident and Medical Clinic, which provides GP services for those without them and also pays salaries that keep more doctors in Wanganui.
Another was the PHO's counselling and social work service, and a third was its high needs nurse, who took care of people with multiple serious health problems.
In her own talk Ms MacDonald highlighted action on medicine management, clinics for rural young people and the PHO's regional diabetes programme.
Also covered were nurse-led assessment clinics. She said the presentation got good feedback, including an endorsement from Whanganui District Health Board's primary health planner Rowena Kui. Other PHOs asked for information and one person even wanted to know if there were any jobs going.
Ms MacDonald was planning to make the same presentation available to the Wanganui public some time soon.
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