IMG highlight particular areas for feedback at Open Days next week
The GB Weekly approached the IMG with questions that arose out of last week’s information pack in our paper. They responded with this press release:
People will be able to see concept plans of the proposed integrated health facility at next week’s Open Days in Golden Bay.
The Open Days are being held at the Takaka fire station rooms on Wednesday 2 December from 12pm to 7pm and at the Collingwood fire station rooms on Thursday 3 December from 12pm to 7pm. The Open Days are an opportunity for local people to come and find out more about what is proposed, from members of the integrated health project.
The concept plans will show how the three health care providers – the community hospital, medical centre and rest home – will be able to work together. While the plans are still at the concept stage and have yet to be fully costed, they will give people an idea of how some facilities can be shared and how staff will be able to work more efficiently and effectively.
“We haven’t put a dollar amount on the building yet for several reasons,” group chair John Peters said. “Firstly we have yet to finalise the scope of the building. Once we’ve have got some agreement about what everyone believes is needed in the facility, we need to work out what is affordable. Secondly we don’t want to influence any tender process. And lastly the price will depend on which site we choose.
“At the moment we think the hospital site is the most viable, but we don’t know what the community thinks and we don’t have final information about the costs of any land purchase and development. We currently think the hospital is the best option because it’s cheaper, has fewer zoning, roading and other issues and can start more quickly.
“While we can’t say how much the facility will cost, we’ve done some business planning and various calculations based on different scenarios. What we can say is that, for any of the site options, we’ll need to raise only a proportion of the cost from fund-raising, although this will be significantly less if the community hospital site is chosen. Some of the money will come from selling existing assets and some will be covered by a mortgage that we can service from our income.
“We’ve done some exploration as to where the funds might come from, but we can’t make any formal applications to funding bodies or other sources until we are more definite about the “what, where and when” details.
“We are very keen to hear from people at the Open Day meetings. We will have some forms available for people to write down their views or ask questions on key topics. The areas we particularly want feedback on are:
Integration – is it the best way of meeting future health needs in Golden Bay? If not, how do we ensure the sustainability of health services in Golden Bay, particularly rest home services given the difficulties Joan Whiting is facing?
Site – is the hospital the best site despite it being less costly and, we believe, quicker to develop?
Trust deed - what are your thoughts on the proposed trust deed?
Is there anything else you want to know about how an integrated facility would operate?
If anyone has any questions they can phone Wendy at Heartlands on 525 6151 or email info@gbhealth.org.nz
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