Nurse Clinic Opens at Juken Nissho Ltd

Nurse Clinic Opens at Juken Nissho Ltd

Juken Nissho Ltd staff now have on-site access to nursing services following today’s opening of the Tairawhiti Innovative Nursing Team (TINT) Nurse Clinic.

The Nurse Clinic, backed by Employ Health, Ngati Porou Hauora Primary Health Organisation (PHO), Turanganui PHO and Tairawhiti District Health (TDH), has been set up at the timber processing plant in an effort to improve access to health services for staff.

“We are absolutely delighted that we have this innovative service on site now,” said Juken Nissho Assistant Mill Manager Brendan Smith.

“Our staff work hard, there is shift work and heavy work required, and we are quite a distance from town. Having nursing services on-site will mean staff can receive comprehensive health services and follow-up.”

Over 400 staff at Juken Nissho Ltd can visit the Nurse Clinic which will be open Monday to Friday every afternoon, and all day Monday and Wednesdays.

Mr Smith said JNL has for the past 10 years undertaken pre-employment and regular health monitoring of its staff using occupational health nurses from Employ Health. He said this was primarily to ensure staff do not suffer any work-related health conditions.

“During the checks, the nurses regularly detected a range of non-work related health and social issues. With the Nurse Clinic, we are now in a better position to provide assistance with those issues.”

Project Coordinator Nurse Diane Williams said health issues were likely to include family health, disease management, nutrition and other lifestyle choices.

She said providing a nurse clinic at JNL reflected an overall shift within the primary health sector which sees more partnership between nurses working in the community and a collaborative approach to providing care.

“This new service came about after a group of Tairawhiti nurses were successfully selected to receive Ministry of Health funding for an innovative nursing project to improve the health of local people. The funding was specifically for primary care nursing, or nursing in the community.”

The official Nurse Clinic opening will be in the Juken Nissho Ltd Training Room. Monday 23 February 2004, from 9.30am.

Ngati Porou kaumatua Bill Aston will bless the Clinic, with morning tea to follow.

Reporters and photographers are welcome to attend.

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