Latest news with #WRHN
NZ Herald
28-07-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
‘Working really hard': Whanganui child immunisation rates rise amid disease outbreaks
'Rates have risen from around 70% in late 2024 to around 77%. Notably, coverage for Māori children has also risen in that time from below 60% to around 75%.' Whanganui Regional Health Network (WRHN) and Te Oranganui said the results were due to hard work despite difficult circumstances, including the cost of living, lasting effects from Covid-19, and childhood disease outbreaks. At the start of July, a measles outbreak was detected in the Wairarapa area. It spread to Feilding with eight reported cases. Whanganui was identified as a hotspot for the whooping cough epidemic in November 2024 with a rate of infection at 11.4 cases per 100,000 people. 'We are really concerned,' WRHN immunisation co-ordinator Sue Hina said. She said there was some reluctance to immunisation 'from Covid-19 from when the ministry put in the mandates so people think 'don't tell me what to do'.' Te Oranganui chief executive Wheturangi Walsh-Tapiata said it was 'heartening' to see a recent increase in immunisations. 'It's been a challenging space to get whānau to understand the importance in particular of their child immunisations since Covid times,' she said. Hina said there had been increased focus on educating families to be able to make an informed decision on whether to immunise their children. 'That's making sure there's enough access for people, enough information for people, enough follow-up to those that are hesitant,' Hina said. 'People have the right to decline but we want to get to the point where the people declining can have a conversation with us.' She said the cost of living crisis had also placed barriers for struggling families to get immunised. 'The social determinants make a big difference; if you haven't got a house to live in or you can't pay your rent or put food on the table, you're less likely to be worried about whether your immunisations get done or not,' Hina said. Walsh-Tapiata said it was important to talk to people in their communities. 'The critical point of difference in terms of our services is that we go to them.' It was not only Te Oranganui that worked in this way to improve healthcare provision, but iwi Māori hauora providers throughout the region. 'There has been a really collective approach by the Iwi Māori Hauora providers throughout the region to address child immunisations initially and then overall immunisations,' Walsh-Tapiata said. Meanwhile, O'Connor said more work was needed to reach the 95% national target by 2030 but the progress was promising. 'And it is down to the tireless, collective efforts of our community and primary care provider partners, supported by the Whanganui Regional Health Network.' Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
One hospital set to close when new acute care facility opens in Waterloo Region
As Waterloo Region moves closer to making a new hospital a reality, another hospital is set to close. On Thursday, the province of Ontario reaffirmed a $10 million dollar commitment to support the planning and construction of a new Waterloo Regional Health Network hospital at the University of Waterloo. The new hospital will be built on lands west of Bearinger Road and Hagey Boulevard in Waterloo and focus on acute care. It will feature expanded cardiac clinics as part of the Regional Cardiac Care Centre, enhanced surgical spaces, modernized medical and surgical inpatient units and maternal, newborn and pediatric care. Officials hope to open the new facility by 2035. 'We continue at a pretty rapid pace to try to meet our original timelines,' Ron Gagnon, president and CEO of Waterloo Regional Health Network said. 'This funding helps us to do that. We are right about, I would say, halfway through the planning project at this point.' Part of the planning includes what comes next for the network's current hospitals: WRHN @ Midtown (formerly Grand River Hospital, KW Campus), WRHN @ Queen's Blvd. (formerly St. Mary's General Hospital) and WRHN @ Chicopee (formerly Grand River Hospital, Freeport Campus). WRHN @ Chicopee will remain focused on continuing care and rehabilitation. WRHN @ Midtown will transition into a high intensity outpatient care centre and urgent care facility. But the WRHN @ Queen's Blvd. is facing a different fate. 'Once we open the doors that are the new acute care facility, we will discontinue the use of our Queen's Blvd. site,' Gagnon said. Hospital network officials said at that point, it will be up to the St. Joseph Health Network, the group that owns the property, to decide what happens next.
CTV News
16-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Province providing additional $10M towards new hospital in Waterloo
WRHN @ Midtown was seen on King Street West in Kitchener on April 8, 2025. (Dan Lauckner/CTV News) The provincial government has given the Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) a $10 million planning grant to build its new acute care hospital in Waterloo. That's in addition to the $5 million planning grant previously announced in April 2022. WHRN said the funding will help with their ongoing work at the hospital 's site, located on a vacant part of the University of Waterloo's north campus. The hospital was officially announced in July 2022 with the promise of adding 400 acute care beds to the region. 'Each year, over 700,000 patients receive care at WRHN, and this number continues to grow. Our current facilities were not designed to support the current and increasing demand,' Dr. Peter Potts, the chief of staff at WRHN, said in a media release. 'The government's recent announcement is a strong sign of support for the patients we serve… This will help more patients get care closer to home, reduce wait times and improve overall health outcomes and patient experiences.' WRHN said the new hospital is expected to open in 2035.
