How well are you and your whānau managing at home with COVID and winter illnesses? Are you unwell, concerned and need some support?
Winter illnesses have hit our community hard, as whānau struggle to manage colds and influenza on top of the current COVID outbreak. Over the last three months the Mauri Ora COVID Clinic has been operating on the Whanganui Hospital grounds, supporting the management of rapidly rising COVID cases. With the increase in the number of winter illnesses, the clinic has recently changed to also include the assessment and management of colds and flu. Given this wider focus, the clinic has now been renamed the Mauri Ora Clinic.
The Mauri Ora Clinic is available to people who do not have a regular GP or where general practice teams are not able to provide appointments on the day for cold, flu and COVID concerns, or if people have been referred to the clinic by their practice.
The clinic is free and can be accessed through the main hospital entrance and by following the yellow signage on the grounds. This is a drive-through clinic, with allocated parking for those who need to make use of a consultation room, however, it will be possible for those who do not have transport to walk in.
This service is currently operating Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 6.30pm and Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 4pm. Dependent on the community case numbers, opening hours could change in the future; however, there will still be some after-hours support, seven-days a week.
“The Mauri Ora Clinic is supporting our general practice teams, who are fronting most of the clinical care in the community. We still encourage whānau to contact their GP in the first instance, as they may be able to make allocations for their patients, depending on the time of the day,” says Mon White and Gina Halvorson, Health Services Managers at Whanganui Accident & Medical.
The day-to-day operation of the clinic is being managed by Whanganui Accident & Medical and it is being staffed by a range of providers, who are all working together to ensure the health, social and welfare needs are considered for those who access this service. “The aim of the clinic is for the organisations to work collectively to provide both clinical services, as well as further wrap around support where necessary,” says Wheturangi Walsh-Tapiata, CEO at Te Oranganui.
Please be mindful the Mauri Ora Clinic is not for emergencies. If whānau have concerns around a potentially life-threatening emergency, such as experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing, they should ring 111 or go directly to the Emergency Department for immediate care.
For further comment please contact Whanganui Regional Health Network, Communications & Technology Coordinator, Karen Veldhoen on (06) 348 0109 extn 708
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