Award winning artist gifts painting to hospital after heart attack
When Tauranga artist Graham Baker started feeling tired and taking regular afternoon naps , he thought it was just a part of getting older .
Then pains in his chest that felt like a bad case of indigestion saw him off to Tauranga Hospital . Little did he know at that stage , that he was having a heart attack .
“ You hear people talking about the tell-tale warning signs of a heart attack , things like pains in your arm or out of breath . I didn ’ t feel any of that . It felt I had a lump of ice in my chest .”
What followed was a series of tests leading to the life- saving heart procedure performed in the hospital ’ s Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory ( Cath Lab ). A stent was inserted via a tube threaded through a blood vessel in his arm , restoring the blood supply to his heart .
The procedure happened on a Wednesday ; Graham was home two days later .
As you ’ d expect , he came into contact with many hospital staff during his experience . “ I asked my wife to write down
From the Chair
This edition of Health Matters highlights some of the exciting initiatives happening across Bay of Plenty District Health Board ( BOPDHB ) that are strengthening your health services . One in particular I encourage you to read highlights the success of the BOPDHB as a teaching and research facility for the University of Auckland ’ s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences . This success has resulted in our DHB being offi cially recognised as a Clinical Campus . This gives us the opportunity to have more students coming here to train which gives them the chance to fi nd out what a great place it is to work and live . And it also keeps us ‘ front of mind ’ when students graduate and are considering where they ’ d like to work . The Clinical Campus status helps us to recruit and retain high quality staff which means we continue providing you with high quality health services .
This month we also have two articles on immunisation that I encourage you to refl ect on . Whooping cough and mumps are both still prevalent in New Zealand . Immunisation is your best protection . Have you checked your immunisation records and that of your family ? Contact your health centre for details .
March marks the end of summer and it won ’ t be that long before winter is here . Every year we have the infl uenza vaccination programme to avoid you getting unnecessarily sick . So now is the time to be
Sally Webb , Chair Bay of Plenty District Health Board
thinking about getting your “ fl u ” shot . By being immunised , you not only protect yourself , but you help to ensure you don ’ t pass on infl uenza to your families , friends and colleagues . Flu immunisation is free for people who are most likely to get very sick , including those 65 +, pregnant women , children under the age of 4 who ’ ve been in hospital with breathing problems and people who are under the age of 65 with diabetes , heart or lung health issues . Don ’ t wait till it is too late - talk to your doctor to fi nd out more this week . We want you to stay well .
He aha te mea nui o te ao ? He tangata ! He tangata ! He tangata !
What is the most important thing in the world ?
It is people ! It is people ! It is people !
Arohanui Sally Webb
the names of staff so we could somehow thank them later but we lost track .”
“ It felt like Doctor Hassan Fahmi in the Cardiology team was with me every step of the way . He explained things in a manner I could understand and really put me at ease .
“ I remember one of the nurses in the morning shift asking me if I wanted something to eat and making me marmite on toast , what a treat . I found out later that she ’ d used her own bread she had brought in for morning tea .”
Graham says it was instances like that which made him feel so well cared for and he wanted to show his gratitude in some way .
So he got in touch with the Coronary Care team and sent them sketches and paintings for subject approval .
The oil landscape of Mount Maunganui took about six months to complete and now hangs in pride of place in the Coronary Care Unit ( CCU ).
“ The painting is just a small way of showing our gratitude to the staff of the Coronary Care Unit . I hope it does its job , to take the viewer to another place and time where they might get a little respite .”
Better care co-ordination for community nursing across the Bay
Organising people ’ s home healthcare so they receive what they need , when they need it , and from the best provider is the ethos behind a new Bay-wide community nursing service launched this month .
The BOP Community Care Coordination ( CCC ) Centre has been established as a 12- month demonstration site , providing a single place for people to access community nursing care , information and support .
The centre ’ s Operations Manager Asmitha Patchay says , “ We want to ensure people get timely , equitable , integrated care . Someone might have multiple connections with the healthcare system because of complex needs . It ’ s our job to co-ordinate that care and make sure they get the best care from the right provider .”
The centre is part of new futurefocussed approach to community nursing which aims to provide patients and their family / whãnau with health services which are well-coordinated , simple to navigate and delivered closer to home .
BOPDHB GM Planning and Funding Simon Everitt says the DHB has been working with Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation ( WBOPPHO ), Ngā Mataapuna Oranga ( NMO ), and Eastern Bay Primary Health
Artist Graham Baker with the painting he ’ s gifted to Tauranga Hospital ’ s Coronary Care Unit in recognition of the care he received after having a heart attack last year . Pictured left to right : Clinical Physiologist Michelle Bayles , Cardiology Clinical Nurse Manager Jason Money , Graham and CCU Clinical Nurse Manager Chris Southerwood .
Alliance ( EBPHA ) on the new approach for community nursing .
Introducing a common patient and family / whānau community nursing assessment across health providers as well as giving patients and their families a greater say in directing care and support are amongst other changes being considered .
Asmitha Patchay says although the service has only been operating a short time , in the fi rst week the team handled more than 200 referrals . We ’ d expect those numbers to increase as people become more familiar with it .”
You can contact the CCC on 0800 BOP CCC ( 267 222 ) or email : admin @ bopccc . org . nz
For more details visit www . bopdhb . govt . nz and search Integration Community Nursing .
The BOP Community Care Coordination team : ( from left ) Triage Nurse Rozanne Young , Administration Support Pauline Louie , Operations Manager Asmitha Patchay , Triage Nurse Teresa Wynyard , Administration Support Bernetta Britton .