Latest news with #WellSouth
Otago Daily Times
03-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Rural mental health advocate retires
After 18 years, a Southland man is stepping down from his role with Rural Support Trust, while still keeping his mental health workshop project, which he began in Gore. Wendonside-based Lindsay Wright is moving into retirement to spend more time with his grandchildren and other relationships, and is no longer a trustee of Rural South, which he has been with since its 2008 inception. Despite this move into retirement, he remained on the trust governing mental health literacy workshop GoodYarn, which he started with Southern health network WellSouth in 2014. Mr Wright said as a direct result of Rural Support's involvement in the 2010 Southland snowstorm response, he was invited to join with WellSouth to develop a mental health workshop for rural people in the Otago-Southland region. After the adverse weather event, he said WellSouth researched what information was available for rural people following adverse events and mental health challenges and there was "basically nothing". The network approached Mr Wright, who had a background in Toastmasters and education. He delivered the pilot workshop in Gore more than ten years ago. Now conversations around mental illness were more common, but he said at the time mental health was not something discussed openly. "It was just something that nobody talked about ... it was very difficult to have a conversation with anybody," he said. "We were just saying to people, it doesn't have to be difficult, it doesn't have to be clever, it's just about understanding that if you recognise that something's going on, then it's OK to talk about it." He said the now developed workshops were to help people recognise the signs and symptoms of mental illness, which was something he had experienced firsthand. In 2005 Mr Wright was a beef and lamb farmer when he experienced a bout of depression. "I got to the stage where I was in such a low point I had every job that I had to do was written on a post-it note," he said. Following this, he leased his farm and received counselling, which gave him tools he later applied to the workshops and his work at Rural South. "Everything I've done, all my experiences good and challenging throughout my life, have all been an apprenticeship for what I've been doing now." He said Rural Support remained a conduit for farmers experiencing mental health challenges or responding to adverse events, connecting them with the right help. "Our job is to sit with you as a rural person, talk about your particular situation and in consultation with you, help you find the appropriate services or professionals who can best help you."
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Service to ‘strengthen urgent care'
Health Minister Simeon Brown. Photo: RNZ/Angus Dreaver Dunedin will be one of the first beneficiaries of a new urgent and after-hours care service, the government says. Health Minister Simeon Brown said yesterday the service would start in Dunedin in "late 2025". Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) did not provide further details yesterday, but Mr Brown said yesterday that it was a new Budget initiative, and part of a $164 million nationwide roll-out over four years to expand urgent and after-hours healthcare services across the country. New centres would also be opened in Counties Manukau, Whangārei, Palmerston North and Tauranga. "These improvements are part of a comprehensive, community-based approach to strengthen urgent care, ease pressure on hospital emergency departments, and deliver better health outcomes for all New Zealanders. "In Dunedin, a new 24/7 service has been identified to ensure the community has round-the-clock access to care every day of the week, easing pressure on the city's hospital. "This means people in Dunedin will be able to get urgent care any time of the day and night, while our government continues to prioritise delivering the new Dunedin hospital," Mr Brown said. Urgent after-hours care services have come under increasing pressure in the city due to lack of resources — recently Dunedin Urgent Doctors & Accident Centre (Dudac) reduced its operating hours from 8am-10pm to 8am-9pm. Dudac general manager Adam O'Byrne said this was a fantastic announcement. "Dunedin and the wider Otago community have waited so long for something like this to occur. "We know the community deserve this and we are very grateful that we have been trusted with this opportunity to make a lasting change to urgent and after-hours care here in Dunedin." The funding boost meant Dudac could now "sustain and improve its current services while we continue to collaborate with HNZ, Primary Health Network WellSouth and other local health sector stakeholders as to how we expand access to urgent and after-hours care for all within our community", he said. "This is a very important piece of work in which we will start immediately so we can deliver on the Health Minister Simeon Brown's promise." WellSouth chief executive Andrew Swanson-Dobbs was also excited by the announcement. The funding would give WellSouth the opportunity to work with Dudac and HNZ to develop the service, and "hopefully staff, to be paid appropriately", with the ambition to have something formalised before the end of the year, he said. "It's great news for the Dunedin population — now we need to get on and plan the work." Mr Swanson-Dobbs said Dudac had done an "amazing" job over several years, with doctors working not only their day jobs, but also after hours, to sustain the service. Former head of the Dunedin emergency department Dr John Chambers said on paper, this sounded like a positive and sensible initiative from the government. "But it will all come down to workforce. "What's happened over the years is less and less GPs want to do this sort of work. "So, eventually they pull out of it until the roster becomes unworkable. "And it's also a question of money. Is it going to go to urgent care specialists? Will it all be gobbled up in the administration? And will the patients have to pay? "The thing with these announcements is that there's always a catch somewhere which I'm sure we'll find out about soon." About 5000 New Zealanders visit urgent care clinics every day, but the availability of after-hours services has declined in recent years, and access remains variable, Mr Brown said. "We're taking action to ensure New Zealanders can access the care they need, when and where they need it. Our investment will also support more timely care, reducing pressure on emergency departments, and improving outcomes for patients."
Scoop
02-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Moana Lei Events For Women's Health
Press Release – WellSouth The events are designed to empower women, offering health information and health checks to them in a culturally safe and accessible space. Finding ways to open up conversations, or talanoa, about important women's health topics, Pacific Invercargill Advisor Charitable Trust (PIACT) and Pacific Trust Otago (PTO) are hosting Moana Lei events in May in Invercargill and Dunedin, respectively. Moana Lei is a collaboration between each Pacific provider, WellSouth Primary Health Network and Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand's National Cervical Screening Programme, Southern. The events are designed to empower women, offering health information and health checks to them in a culturally safe and accessible space. Invercargill Moana Lei is on Thursday May 8 from 5-8pm at the PIACT Hall, on 135 Bowmont Street, and in Dunedin at the HUB, Otago Polytechnic on 9 May from 6-9pm. PIACT Community Linkage Worker and Whanau Ora Navigator Aiga Toomalatai says the timing is around Mother's Day. 'We want to say thank you to our Pasifika mums and women for all that they do, and treat them to an evening of pampering, while offering opportunities to start or keep talanoa/conversations going about what's important for women and how to keep themselves well. We need to look after ourselves!' Pasifika women are over-represented in statistics for screening with our Southern women less likely to be screened on time, or screened at all, leading to higher rates of bowel, cervical and breast cancer among Pasifika women. 'There are many reasons for this, and we know one of the key reasons is that Pasifika women put their family first,' says Ms Toomalatai. Women will also be able to get screened and vaccinated at the event. Both PIACT and PTO have held similar, well-attended events before. This year in response to demand, PTO has a bigger venue. PTO Director Health Services Finau Taungapeau says this is to cater to the Pasifika population in Dunedin. 'Our pink event last year was packed and we hope by using the HUB space we can get more women in for the evening to be pampered and to get a chance to talanoa and get health checks.' 'By creating an accessible, fun event, we can break down barriers and provide positive health experiences at the same time celebrating the mums leading up to Mother's Day' At both events, women will be treated to pamper stations, free food, prizes and gifts including pamper packs from Pure Fiji to take home. There will be stations for women to talk to health professionals from WellSouth, PIACT, PTO, Health NZ, Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand and, for those who are eligible, access free HPV screening and vaccinations on the night.
