COVID Vaccination Rollout Boosted By Contact Centre Collaboration Between Iwi And MSD

A COVID Vaccination Healthline set up by Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi in Kaikohe with help from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is bringing much needed health information and welfare advice to whanau across the Mid-North.

Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi - Peter Green

The contact centre is a partnership between the Iwi health provider and Whakarongorau Aotearoa who run the National Telehealth Service for the Ministry of Health including the COVID Vaccination Healthline and other COVID support services.
Seventy people have been employed at the Kaikohe-based contact centre, 45 of whom were recruited through MSD. Most are wāhine in their mid-20s who have received training adapted for Māori communities and have been supported to work from home.

Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi Chief Executive, Te Rōpu Poa describes her new recruits as a safe pair of hands for our whanau: “Our role is to take care of our people, and we all feel that we can contribute,” she says.

“It is reassuring for our whanau to hear and to speak to someone who sounds like them and gets their questions. Our staff know that every question is valuable because it helps to build health literacy. “

“The opportunity to do meaningful work - to help lift the level of health literacy in our community through early intervention - is changing the narrative for our wāhine toa, all of whom are grateful to have full-time employment. A secondary benefit is that our contact centre whanau have got the message about vaccination and they bring their mamas and papas along to Te Hau Ora O Ngāpuhi to be vaccinated, ” Te Rōpu Poa says.

The COVID Vaccination contact centre was up and running in just 10 days which Te Rōpu says is a credit to the selection process run by MSD, and the level of trust between the Iwi health provider and the Ministry. MSD Regional Director, Graham MacPherson says it’s a great outcome for everyone involved:- “Especially to have our people connecting with whanau - many of whom live in isolated communities - and supporting them to get protected against the COVID-19 virus.”

“It’s been gratifying for our MSD team to be able to match talent and potential to job opportunities. For example, through the contact centre selection we picked out a young man with advanced IT skills who is now employed to revamp the Iwi health provider’s website and work on other critical projects.”

Graham says MSD is recruiting myriad roles across the region: “From bee-keeping and silviculture, to health care workers, restaurant front of house and baristas, tree planting in nurseries and wood processing. MSD also provides a range of support for anyone wanting to return to work, or out of work because of COVID-19. Flexiwage is one of the ways we’re supporting New Zealanders into work. We can help employers to hire staff and get the skills they need to do the job. Support can include a wage contribution.”

“The message is whatever your experience, there are opportunities for work in Te Taitokerau.”

Notes:
For information about current roles available in Northland visit Connected: Northland | Connected<https://www.connected.govt.nz/in-your-region/northland/>

Flexiwage programme
Flexi-wage provides a wage contribution to help employers pay wages, as well as training and ongoing support for employees if it's needed. You don’t necessarily need to be on a benefit. For more information: Flexi-wage – job seeker information - Work and Income<https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/products/a-z-benefits/flexi-wage.html>

Whakarongorau Aotearoa
Whakarongorau Aotearoa is a social enterprise running the Government-funded free to the public, 24x7 national telehealth services across seven digital channels. These services are co-funded by the Ministry of Health, ACC, Te Hiringa Hauora Health Promotion Agency, Ministry of Social Development, and the Department of Corrections. More than 2,500 people use the Whakarongorau Aotearoa platform to deliver care and advice to over 25,000 people per day.
 

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