DECEMBER 2019
CE update
Public health nurses MMR vaccination pilot with Melville schools a success
Waikeria Prison
A small pilot at Melville Primary and Melville Intermediate schools with some of our public health nurses proved successful being able to vaccinate 82 percent of kids not immunised for MMR.
A mental health inpatient unit with 96 beds is being built as part of a wider $750m build project at the site.
I’m told the schools were really helpful in the process and together with our nurses were able to identify 240 children with no immunisation records supplied. After the NIR (National Immunisation Register) checks the team were able to ascertain there were only 48 students with either unknown immunisation status, no vaccination for MMR, or only one MMR vaccination record. In the end, the team were able to vaccinate 39. Given this result, we look forward to seeing it trialled at more schools in the new year.
I visited Waikeria Prison to see the great work that is being done as a partnership between Corrections and our local Mental Health and Addictions service.
What is exciting about this development is the respect for indigenous culture and the focus on rehabilitation and recovery. There is a real attempt in the mental health facility to ensure that it is truly a therapeutic environment with modern rooms not cells, with no bars on the windows, clustered in groups of eight. There is also a clear desire to develop a common culture between Corrections staff and health staff. This facility has the potential to be an exemplar internationally.
Just a reminder – 300 fewer staff carparks on campus while Hague Road building closes for maintenance The Hague Road Carpark Building will be completely closed for planned essential maintenance from 4pm 24 December to Monday 20 January 2020. This is similar to what happened last year, but may have a bigger impact on available staff parking, especially in the mid-January period. There will be about 300 fewer staff carparks available over that period, as many Hockin Carpark spaces will be set aside as alternative public/patient parking only. We have scheduled this for a time when fewer staff are expected on campus, but there will still be some impact. If you have a current staff parking permit and are working during this period, you may wish to consider other transport options to avoid parking issues on the Waiora Waikato Hospital Campus.
This update will be published monthly, if you have anything happening in your area and think I should know about it please email news@waikatodhb.health.nz
