Enrol your children to give them
Giving our kids a brighter future by ensuring they have access to the best healthcare in their early years is the reason behind an initiative promoting early enrolment into the health system .
Community Health 4 Kids which provides free health checks including dental , vision and hearing for zero to five year olds , has introduced a Newborn Enrolment Form .
“ We know that new mums have a lot going on for them and while it seems like just another form to fill in , early enrolment with Dental , GP ’ s and Wellchild / Tamariki Ora can have a massive impact on a child ’ s quality of life ,” says Regional Administrator Bev McVicar Bev .
Newborn dental enrolments have almost doubled since the new scheme began in 2017 -from 28 % in 2016 to 53 % for the same period in 2017 .
What we need to know
The Newborn Enrolment form asks mothers / caregivers to nominate for their newborn :
• GP
• Wellchild / Tamariki Ora Provider
the best start in life
• Dental enrolment choices BOPDHB Community Dental / Te Manu Toroa ( WBOP )
• Plus gives the mothers information on immunisation and newborn hearing and screening .
Why is it important ?
It is important children are enrolled early in life with a GP so
Health workers sign up to ‘ Dementia Friends ’
Staff at Tauranga Hospital will be wearing ‘ I am a dementia friend ’ badges indicating they are there to help people who have Dementia .
The badges are part of Alzheimers New Zealand ’ s recently launched Dementia Friends programme ; designed to support people living with dementia and raise awareness about the condition .
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a group of symptoms that affect how well our brains work . 60,000 people have dementia in New Zealand , and that number is expected to almost triple by 2050 .
A Dementia Friend learns what it is like to live with dementia , and makes a commitment to an action that will help people with dementia live well .
Actions can be anything that helps someone with dementia . Every action matters . Your action will be the one that is right for you . If you think about what being a friend looks like , you have the right idea .
A 2017 survey shows that four out of every five New Zealanders knows or has known someone with dementia .
Midlands DHBs Regional Dementia Nurse Advisor Ruth Thomas who is the driving force behind the initiative at BOPDHB says , “ Being a health organisation , chances are we will meet people with dementia every day , whether they are a patient or at the hospital visiting .
that their six-week , and ongoing immunisations are provided at the appropriate age . Wellchild / Tamariki Ora enrolments are critical for children and their whānau to ensure our babies right up to 4 years receive their free health checks . Between 4 – 5 years old the B4 School Nurse Programme offers the last of the Wellchild / Tamariki Ora checks .
Early enrolment and early visits with dental services help to set up good oral health outcomes into adulthood .
Enrolling with the
Dental service
Babies are usually first seen by a dental or oral health therapist between 9-18 months of age .
“ We need to enrol these children at birth or as soon as possible ,” says Bev . “ This adds
The Community Health 4 Kids Team , from left to right , Nicole D ’ Druz , Marie Tata , Bev McVicar , Katie Natusch them to our patient database , and Theresa Parsons . so we can make contact with their family / whānau and arrange an appointment with one of our dental or oral health therapists .
“ Some parents ask why their baby or toddler needs to be seen so early , especially when they only have a few teeth or none at all . We tell them our dental or oral health therapist would be happy to see them to pass on key tips and advice about the importance of their baby ’ s teeth , when to start brushing , type of toothpaste to use , when we will see them next , and much more .”
If your pre-school child has not been seen by the dental service you can phone us on 0800 935 554 and select option 1 .
“ Wearing a Dementia Friends badge or wristband indicates to people with dementia that we have some knowledge of the condition and that they can ask us for guidance or support while they are at the hospital .”
You can sign up to become a Dementia Friend by taking a free short ( 20 minute ) online training course at https :// demfriendsnz . firebaseapp . com /#/ home or contact Alzheimers WBOP on 07 577 6344 , or Alzheimers EBOP on 07 308 0525 .
BOPDHB is supporting Alzheimers New Zealand ’ s Dementia Friends . Pictured left to right : CE Helen Mason with Dementia Nurse Advisor Ruth Thomas and Tauranga Alzheimer ’ s GM Julie Sargisson .
Community pharmacy service convenient and speedy says Warfarin patient
Pharmacist Rowena Fu ( left ) gives Lupe Poe ( right ) her INR test .
Convenience , speed and accessibility mean people are increasingly looking to their local pharmacies for services they may have traditionally accessed through their GP .
Lupe Poe suffered rheumatic fever as a 12 year old and the disease damaged one of her heart valves . She has been on Warfarin ever since and needs weekly blood tests to monitor her condition . She now gets those blood tests at her community pharmacy .
“ I used to go to Pathlab for my blood tests , the results would go to my doctor first and I would then be waiting almost a week to get them ,” says Lupe . “ It was a much longer process . Here the results are instant .”
Lupe is talking about her INR ( International Normalised Ratio ) testing ; a measurement of how well the blood clots and a standard test for Warfarin patients . Pharmacist Rowena Fu , of Unichem Mount Dispensary , says her pharmacy was one of the first in the area to offer the Community Pharmacy Anticoagulation Monitoring Service ( CPAMS ).
“ Our Warfarin patients come in , we do a blood test and they get those results straight away ,” explains Rowena . “ Those results also go straight to their doctor . The INR machine only uses a pinprick as it just needs a drop of blood . It ’ s much better for patients who might not like needles , or have other issues around giving blood .
“ We manage the medication and advise people on what dose to take . For complex patients on a number of medicines we put those medicines in a pre-sealed clear plastic roll in the order they need to take them . For the patients it ’ s very convenient and it ’ s a free service we provide .”
Bay of Plenty District Health Board ( BOPDHB ) Primary Care Portfolio Manager Andrea Baker says the service is very client centric .
“ It meets the BOPDHB aims of increasing capacity in health , having ease of access for the local community and taking care of the local community ,” she says .
The service is available at the following pharmacies : Tauranga Unichem Mount Dispensary Bethlehem Faulkner ' s Pharmacy My Pharmacy Papamoa Plaza Te Puke Life Pharmacy Te Puke