Tangimoana nurse ready to assist

Tangimoana's Rural Health Nurse, Gail Hart, is looking forward to administering to the community’s health care needs now that the long-awaited medical clinic in the township is open for business.

“It’s an exciting development,” said Ms Hart, “not only for improving people’s health, but in helping bring the community together.”

She said the two-roomed clinic was not just for people in the township, but also those in the surrounding rural areas who could find it easier calling in at the centre rather going to Bulls or Palmerston North.

Rangitikei MP, Simon Power, opened the clinic, based in McKelvie Hall, last Saturday.

Modelled on the same principle as the successful Himatangi Beach Health Clinic, which opened three years ago, the Tangimoana centre will offer services such as the prevention of heart disease, diabetes, asthma advice, wound dressing and assessment, healthy lifestyle programmes, blood collections, immunisations, hearing aid and ear checks and children’s health.

The clinic will be open from 10am to noon, Monday to Saturday, with home visits outside those hours to 2pm, and an evening clinic from 4pm to 6pm on a Thursday. But those hours are subject to change as Ms Hart is planning a questionnaire for all residents asking them what hours would best suit them.

Ms Hart, who has 25 years’ experience as a registered nurse, said the clinic would provide clinical services and health education as well as giving residents the opportunity to look after their own health.

“It’s their clinic, it’s not for me. I’m there to help and share my knowledge and experience with them.”

Chairman of the Himatangi Beach Community Trust, Murray Hastie, who was asked to help set up the clinic after his involvement at Himatangi Beach, said when the Tangimoana project was first mooted, a resultant survey of residents indicated that such a facility would be welcomed.

“I suspect there may have been a little scepticism as to whether it would happen, however, but we’ve finally got it together, and I’m sure the community is going to be thrilled with it.”

He said it was basically identical to the Himatangi Beach operation in that it was designed to provide a primary health focus for people in the community and to save them the possibility of travelling some distance to seek advice.

“Himatangi Beach has proved extremely successful, with the clinic becoming a focal point, and unifying factor, in the community,” he said.

The establishment of the Tangimoana clinic also meant it could tap into services such as staff rotation, software programmes and administrative systems that had already been proven at Himatangi Beach.