Health Board chief promises to help Kapiti group

By Jeremy Clark, KIN Local Govt. Editor

Kapiti’s  Health Advocacy group will get an official member appointed by the Capital and Coast DHB.

This is the promise made by the DHB CEO Debbie Chin at a presentation to the Paraparaumu-Raumati Community Board.

Board member Kathy Spiers who has been closely associated with the Advocacy group, says the meeting and presentation was very

productive in getting many of the  health interest groups together.

And Ms Spiers says the key to many of the demands for better health services on the coast is getting the Kapiti Health centre ‘sorted’

The future of the centre was raised by several speakers from the floor during the presentations by Chin, Rachel Heggarty from the CCDHB and local general practitioner Chris Fawcett, representing the Compass Health PHO.

When former mayor Iride McCloy asked Chin not to sell any land at the Warrimoo Road health centre she was told that in fact there were no plans to sell.

Ms Spiers who has chaired the preliminary meetings for the Advocacy Group says the next step is a meeting on May 24 to elect a chair and appoint an iwi representative and some eight to ten general members.

She hopes everything will then be in order for the KCDC meeting the following day May 25. It is expected that at least one councillor will be appointed to sit on the Health Advocacy Group.