Canterbury DHB CEO Update Monday 6 July 2015

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CEO Update Monday 6 July 2015

West Coast floods challenge health system Some of you may be aware of the torrential rain which hit the West Coast a couple of weeks ago. This one-in-150 year weather event created chaos for many people including a West Coast rest home – the Ultimate Care Allen Bryant facility in Hokitika. Following the torrential downpour on 18 June, the facility was awash with contaminated flood waters. All 45 residents had to be evacuated and the building now has to be gutted, sterilised and dried before rebuilding can take place. The facility is likely to be closed for up to six months. This has created a huge challenge for West Coast DHB and some of our transalpine teams who support aged residential care. Since the flood they have been working with residents and their families trying to find the best temporary placements for 45 people. This is a major undertaking for the West Coast Complex Clinical Care Network team, they’re dealing with a situation on a scale that is huge for the Coast, comparable if not larger in proportion to the situation we were dealing with for our older folk post the Canterbury earthquakes when over 500 older people had to be evacuated from rest homes. I want to offer my thanks to all those involved in working through these emotionally and physically difficult times for a large group of older people and their families on the Coast. This work will be ongoing and I would like to acknowledge the significant work that has already gone on by a team of staff from both sides of the Alps.

David Meates

CEO Canterbury District Health Board Rest home residents being evacuated.

In this issue »» Zero fees for children under 13...page 3. »» Volunteer awards abound...page 5. »» Dry July news...page 6.

»» Allied Health Assistants graduate... page 7

»» Professional Interpreter Service... page 12.

»» ‘Add a dollar’ campaign...page 11.

»» Research Radar...page 14.

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