Latest news with #GoreHealth
Otago Daily Times
19-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
After-hours boost details awaited
The devil will be in the details for regional health centres around the South following the announcement of an increase in government funding for after-hours services. The government on Sunday announced more than $164 million over four years would be spent to expand urgent and after-hours healthcare services across the country. Health Minister Simeon Brown said the initiative would mean 98% of New Zealanders would be able to receive in-person urgent care within one hour's drive of their homes. It would result in a new urgent and after-hours service in Dunedin and other services would be offered in other parts of the South. A document outlining changes said the Invercargill after-hours service would next year expand to also provide daytime services. Improved services would also be rolled out across rural and remote communities in places such as Balclutha and Stewart Island. Clutha Health First chief executive Gary Reed said the Balclutha facility welcomed the announcement, although details remained scant at this early stage. "Any new monies are warmly received in these financially constrained times. We are waiting for further information from the ministry with respect to how and when the monies will be allocated, as well as what the ministry's expectations are with regards to it," Mr Reed said. The Invercargill after-hours clinic closed in March last year as it struggled to get doctors but reopened within a few days. WellSouth Primary Health Network chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs said he was looking forward to receiving more details about the after-hours healthcare package and what it would mean for Invercargill. "This news paves a way for a more sustainable service in Dunedin as well as the Invercargill after-hours service," he said. "We all know the pressure on health practitioners and other staff to support after hours, with clinicians often working day jobs as well as after hours to sustain the service. "It's a good result and now we need to get on and plan the work." Up to 30 rural and remote South Island services will be improved, alongside a further seven provincial and urban services in 2027. This includes places such as Haast and Gore. Gore Health chief executive Karl Meltzer said he was glad to hear of the increase in funding but, like everything in health, "the devil is in the details." He said potentially it was exciting, and it could help alleviate urgent-care issues. "But we do not know what it is going to be. I have been making a few calls to Wellington but have not had any calls back," he said. Gore Health had a round-the-clock emergency department which allowed Gore GPs to be able to go to bed by 9pm, he said. That sort of coverage was great for a population of 20,000. He said the interesting thing would be whether the money was tagged to the Gore Health emergency department. HealthCentral Alexandra general manager Jenaya Smith said HealthCentral began lobbying for adequate and equitable after-hours and urgent-care funding prior to opening its urgent-care centre in July last year. "We are currently providing an extremely well-utilised walk-in service for both residents of Central Otago and visitors to the area and are open from 8am to 6pm, seven days a week," he said. She was hopeful any funding boost would benefit patients accessing urgent-care/after-hours service but had not yet seen any information. Central Otago Health Services Ltd was contracted to provide urgent GP services between 6pm-8am for HealthCentral-enrolled patients. Comparatively small numbers of its patients accessed this service, she said. Central Otago Health Services Ltd could not be contacted. Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher welcomed the news Oamaru would have its after-hours services improved. "The after-hours emergency department has always been a critical service provided by Oamaru Hospital, so it is great to see that Health NZ is making further improvements to support our wider Waitaki community. A significant proportion of our population will benefit and, in a time when government funding is under huge pressure, it's awesome to hear that this service will be improved." — APL
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Health centre given masonic support
New toiletry kits and two new pulse oximeters were donated to Gore Health by the Southern Masonic Trust this past week (from left) Masonic Charitable Trust secretary treasurer Christine Baird, Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler, Masonic Charitable Trust chairman Neil O'Rorke, past Southland District grandmaster Russell Falconer. PHOTO: GERRIT DOPPENBERG Forget the smoke and mirrors, the secret is out, the Freemasons in Southland are a charitable bunch. The Southland Masonic Charitable Trust has once again reached into its coffers, this time helping out Gore Health by donating over $4000 to the health centre. This money was used to purchase two new pulse oximeters, used to measure oxygen saturation levels in a patient's blood, as well as their heart rate. Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler said the equipment will serve a valuable purpose both in the health centre and on the go. "We use these in transport so it's critical we have these on the road, for monitoring. "We need one [here at the health centre], and one to go with St John and the patient." Mr Metzler said the Masonic Trust had always been very charitable, helping out the health centre for the past 15 years. The organisation also donates emergency toiletry kits, for when people are admitted and may not be able to head home to grab a toothbrush and a comb. The Southland Masonic Trust Chairman Neil O'Rorke said he was always happy to help out Gore Health. Mr O'Rorke said the organisation was less smoke and mirrors these days and more of a charitable group in New Zealand. "We're trying to get Freemasonry out there more, it's not a secret society ... "Freemasons New Zealand gives away millions of dollars every year, with $20,000 to $30,000 just here in Southland," he said.
Otago Daily Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Three seek title of Country Music Queen
With the hardest part of getting humble Southlanders to enter, the leadup to this year's Country Music Queen competition is already in full swing. While the Gore contest is decidedly not a beauty pageant, convener and 2019 winner Melissa Wishart said, the winner crowned on May 25 must present well to be an ambassador for the town internationally. She said the hardest part of the competition each year was getting Southlanders to throw their proverbial cowboy hats into the ring. "We're a bit humble and modest, aren't we?" she said. But the event is past that initial struggle and the contestants for this year are local property manager Jasmyn Pollock, Heriot's Maea Brandon and local retail worker Samara Halford. In the leadup to the final night, the competition hopes to build their confidence, connecting them with public speaking educator Toastmasters to improve their oration, she said. They also expose the entrants to a lot of community events while they wear their bright yellow sashes, so locals can learn who they are before the big day. The three women will also be educated on the knowledge and history of the area in preparation for the event, where there will be a question and answer category. The contestants will be judged on their public speaking, presentation and knowledge of Gore. They will also each deliver a speech on the night. Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler, country musician Jenny Haraway and dance studio co-owner Amanda Swain will be returning as this year's judges. "They're seasoned judges and they love it," Ms Wishart said. The judges will meet for a dinner with the three potential queens the week before, as a way for them to get to know the candidates and ascertain who is best to represent the town. As a prize, the winner will represent the town for the year at important local events as well as internationally at Gore's sister-city, Tamworth, in Australia. The New South Wales town hosts the biggest annual country music party in Oceania, the Tamworth Country Music Festival, which the Queen winner will attend, representing Gore. The competition is organised by the Gore Country Music Club and held as part of the Tussock Country music festival in May. The big night will be held at the Gore RSA, with about 13 tables adorned with cheese platters and drinks at the bar. There will be live entertainment with the ever-popular Annie Nelson hosting, while the judges deliberate. "It's quite fun seeing on the night who's going to win," Ms Wishart said. Tickets are available on iTicket.
Otago Daily Times
29-04-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Tallow skin care ‘fad' benefits scrutinised
A large ball of frozen kidney during home rendering of beef tallow (left) and A container of liquid of home rendered beef tallow. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES Snake oil or a path to clear skin? Beef tallow has been promoted by some as the chemical-free answer to skin concerns and award-winning organic food brands and Southern small businesses alike are capitalising on the trend. A Winton artisan tallow producer and an owner of an supermarket meat supplier both sing the praises of the rendered balm, but Gore Health board director Kristin Leckie says the topical tallow is a "fad" unsupported by skin science. Ms Leckie said the tallow has to be ingested orally to get its benefits and that the idea that it is to be applied topically has been popularised by influencers who were not experts in the field of skin. Beef fat, along with pig lard and sheep's lanolin, is said to have been used on the skin by ancient Egyptians, the Roman Empire and the Victorians. It is recorded as being used up until the 19th century when it was overshadowed by advertising and the dawn of the cosmetic industry. The return of tallow for the face is seen as accompanying the rise of "ancestral living" where the harsh chemicals and consumerism of modern life is rejected in favour of earlier practices. Like the carnivore diet, it is seen as a return to more primitive way of life. The Tallow Boutique NZ owner Claire Roy, based in Winton, said her main aim in producing her home-made, tallow-based balm, was to help people with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis which were aggravated by the chemicals in modern food and skin care. Ms Roy started rendering her own tallow in the 1990s, she said, and, as a "bit of an entrepreneur", she began producing and selling it again after seeing its popularity on TikTok. She makes her Go Solo balm with fat from her local butcher which she renders down and mixes with jojoba, almond, castor and essential oils, as well as locally sourced beeswax. The tallow "mimics" the skin, containing vitamins A, D, E, K and B12, and creates a protective barrier for the skin, she said. A container of liquid of home rendered beef tallow. Ms Roy claimed her product had helped clear up the eczema of some local children. The organic company Neat Meats which stocks its Harmony brand in supermarkets across the country, has jumped on the gravy train, selling tallow for cooking. Neat Meats co-owner Andy Ham said he had the idea after seeing tallow's success on the international market and that the product has a high smoke point, so is good for frying and can add an "umami" flavour to chocolate cookies. He said in the six months the new product was on the market, it had sold over 7000 tubs, winning a gold medal at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards in March. Mr Ham said the company was always looking for new ways to get return from their animals, and the tallow came from organic farms in the South Island. His product is made for edible usage, but Mr Ham said his wife and her friends have been making some "amazing" moisturisers with it at home. Ms Leckie, who has 25 years of experience as a skin therapist, said that putting the rendered fat on the skin will over time congest it, causing blackheads and bumpy, blocked pores. "You're applying something that essentially is going to suffocate the skin, when we want the skin to breathe and function in the way nature intended," she said. She also said there had been an increase in skin problems due to mass produced, chemical filled products, but that the answer was in researched-based treatment, which tallow was not. She said because of the rise in distrust in commercial products a lot of misinformation and new cosmetic solutions were going around. "Everyone's suddenly an expert," she said. "They're an overnight expert."
Otago Daily Times
28-04-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Physician associate regulations lauded by Metzler
The government's decision to regulate physician associates (PAs), has been described as "a watershed moment for the New Zealand health sector" by a Gore doctor. At the weekend, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced Cabinet had signed off the move to regulate PAs. PAs are overseas-trained health professionals who can evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients under the supervision of a doctor. They work in a range of health settings in New Zealand, including general practice and hospitals, assisting with both clinical and administrative tasks to ensure patient needs are met. At present, there are about 50 PAs spread across 29 clinics throughout New Zealand, who work in the same scope of care as their supervising doctors. Mr Brown said regulating physician associates under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003, demonstrated the government's dedication to patient safety and providing high quality care. "By regulating physician associates, they will be required to meet clear standards that are appropriate for the New Zealand health system, including training, supervision, and ongoing professional development." It would also promote and offer assurance of the public confidence in the PA profession. Gore Health chief executive officer Mr Karl Metzler said he and other health professionals across the country had been advocating for this critical profession to be recognised and valued through formal regulation, for the past 12 years. "It is truly a watershed moment for the New Zealand health sector. "I think there's just a massive sense of relief. "I liken it to going through some kind of complicated labour for 12 years and birthing something quite remarkable. "It's a proud moment for me." Mr Metzler said in time people would see the enormous benefit that the PA workforce had to offer. "Kiwis' access to healthcare and better healthcare is going to be improved — I have no doubt, I don't think I'm being naive in saying that." He estimated there were about a dozen PAs working across Otago and Southland at present, and that number was expected to grow significantly. "This is a circuit breaker for rural health and hard-to-staff areas in rural New Zealand. "It will make a huge difference to our healthcare system. "It's gonna come down to immigration and medical council processing their applications." He said if he advertised for a GP in Gore, he would often not get a single applicant. "But if I advertise for a PA, I'll get at least 20 applications. "And particularly in the Trump era, we're getting a lot of democratically-minded interest out of the United States now, and these guys are highly trained and highly skilled." He hoped it would eventually mean PAs would be able to work on their own unsupervised, but initially, for the sake of public safety, doctors would feel a lot happier having oversight and supervision of them. Mr Metzler said Gore Health had employed PAs since 2012 and they would not have been able to maintain the 24/7 emergency department without them. PAs provided critical support to doctors, helped reduce patient wait times and access to healthcare in under-served areas. Their presence had also reduced the load on doctors, consequently reducing burnout and retention issues. "It's so exciting that the sector is finally going to get to truly appreciate and embrace the skills PAs bring to the table."
