Childs recalled trying to book a GP appointment and being told that there was a seven-week wait.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the time you get to that seven weeks, your problems are either much worse, or they\u2019ve gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kitiona, who had been living on Waiheke for about 13 years, said she \u201calways had the pull to come home\u201d to Rotorua.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a high need there for more services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kitiona said the practice was about \u201creducing barriers for people getting in the door\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you get through there, it\u2019s reducing those barriers even more.\u201d<\/p>\n
This included how patients were greeted, cost, environment, and wraparound services, she said.<\/p>\n
Kitiona said Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora had granted the practice interim \u201cvery low-cost access\u201d status. This meant the government agency fixed the prices.<\/p>\n
Fees on the practice\u2019s website showed people without a community services card aged 18 and older would pay $30.50 for an appointment. <\/p>\n
Community services card holders aged 18 and older would pay $20.50. <\/p>\n
Appointments for children 14 to 17 cost $13 and were free for children 13 and younger – regardless of community services card status.<\/p>\n
She acknowledged it was \u201cstill a lot of money for some people\u201d and hoped to use pathways and funding to reduce it.<\/p>\n
Kitiona said Te Whatu Ora would assess its status in six months, based on its patient base.<\/p>\n
Tau Oranga Health Care co-founders and nurse practitioners Jacinda Childs (left) and Jayme Kitiona are passionate about women’s health. Photo \/ Megan Wilson<\/p>\n
Childs, who had worked in Rotorua practices, said enrolment was a \u201cmassive barrier\u201d to getting care.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverywhere I\u2019ve worked, we\u2019ve had people coming in: \u2018Can we enrol?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
She would have to tell them: \u201cNo, sorry, you can\u2019t\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Childs said wh\u0101nau were already asking if they could enrol at Tau Oranga Health Care when it put up its signs before Christmas.<\/p>\n
She said appointments would be 20 minutes instead of the standard 15. <\/p>\n
Childs said Kitiona was a long-acting reversible contraceptive provider.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so thankful that she\u2019s down here because it\u2019s been really hard for us to access that in Rotorua.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked in a practice with 11,000 patients, and we had one provider who was very, very overbooked … so to get somebody to have an IUD put in, it would be months … \u201d<\/p>\n
She said people could see Kitiona \u201cwithin two weeks\u201d.<\/p>\n
Kitiona said \u2018tau\u2019 described a feeling of being settled and calm, and \u2018oranga\u2019 meant health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, that really resonated because we want people … coming in to feel that.\u201d<\/p>\n
A new kaupapa M\u0101ori primary healthcare service provider Tau Oranga Health Care is opening in Rotorua on January 19. Photo \/ Megan Wilson<\/p>\n
Pinnacle Midlands Health Network chief executive Justin Butcher said Tau Oranga Health Care was a strong example of what primary care could look like when led by experienced clinicians and \u201cbuilt around wh\u0101nau\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNurse Practitioners are highly trained. They can assess, diagnose, prescribe, and manage both everyday and long-term health needs, and they play an important role in improving access to care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Butcher said Rotorua, similar to many parts of Aotearoa, was \u201cunder real pressure\u201d when it came to timely primary care access.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew services that make it easier for people to get care, close to home, are important.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Pinnacle Midlands Health Network statement said Tau Oranga Health Care would provide comprehensive, wh\u0101nau-centred primary healthcare, including long-term condition management, screening services, health promotion, and care that supported prevention and early intervention.<\/p>\n
The service would also offer a strong focus on wahine health, including assessment and management of perimenopause and menopause and support for common gynaecological concerns.<\/p>\n
Additional services included ear health support, including tympanometry and earwax removal.<\/p>\n