Plunket clinics still popular with Taranaki famili

24 March 2005

Plunket clinics still popular with Taranaki families

A visit to a local Plunket clinic remains a popular choice for most new families using Plunket in the Taranaki area, according to new figures released on the organisation’s services.

The information takes a comprehensive look at Plunket’s well child health activity in the Taranaki District Health Board area for the six months to 31 December 2004.1

Plunket nurses made 5900 contacts locally during this time, an increase of 832 on the same six-month period in 2003. Of the contacts made, 3078 (52%) were at Plunket clinics, up from 2701 in 2003. 2742 (46%) were through home visits and 80 (1%) were through visits to places like early childhood centres, Kohanga Reo and Marae.

A national comparison for the same six month period shows that 41% of Plunket contacts were through clinic visits, 52% through home visits and 6% through other centres.

Plunket operates 21 clinics in the Taranaki DHB area.

“Generations of families are familiar with Plunket clinics. Not only are they a popular choice for checking out the health and progress of children, but they remain a great meeting place for parents and caregivers,” says Colleen Fakalogotoa, Plunket’s General Manager – Operations.

The figures show that Maori and Pacific Island children accounted for nearly a quarter (1397) of the 5900 contacts made by Plunket in the Taranaki DHB area.

“Positive community relationships are the key for Plunket and it is heartening to see this working. An example of this is Maori and Pacific Island breastfeeding rates which now compare more favourably with other groups of the population,” says Mrs Fakalogotoa.

The figures show that in the six months to 31 December, 64% of all babies in the Taranaki DHB area were exclusively breastfed2 at six weeks of age, compared with the national figure of 51%. At six weeks, 62% of Maori babies, half of Pacific Island babies and 57% of Asian babies in the area were exclusively breastfed.

ENDS

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