West Coast man Greg Carter has spent 500 nights in Christchurch for treatment.<\/p>\n
With home on the West Coast and ongoing specialist treatment required in Christchurch, returning home wasn\u2019t an option for Carter.<\/p>\n
His health challenges began after a heart attack led to the discovery that his polycystic kidney disease had significantly worsened. <\/p>\n
Following a quadruple bypass operation, his kidneys failed, beginning a cycle of treatment, recovery setbacks and extended stays away from home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been continually coming back and forward,\u201d Carter said. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I went home, something seemed to happen, and I\u2019d end up back here.\u201d <\/p>\n
The most serious setback came after an infection spread through his bloodstream, leading to the loss of seven toes and ongoing mobility issues.<\/p>\n
Living on the West Coast can mean hours of travel and extended periods away from home when specialist healthcare is needed. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a challenge increasingly facing rural families across the South Island, with demand for accommodation from West Coast patients and families growing significantly in recent years.<\/p>\n
In 2024-25, R\u0101nui House and Apartments supported 224 West Coast families, providing 4481 room nights.<\/p>\n
The following year, demand surged to 586 families and 5886 room nights, highlighting the growing need for support close to specialist healthcare services in Christchurch.<\/p>\n
BMCT chief executive Mandy Kennedy said access to healthcare shouldn\u2019t depend on where you live.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople living in rural communities already face additional barriers to accessing healthcare. We want to ensure accommodation isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing increasing demand from rural communities, particularly the West Coast, and our priority is ensuring patients and families have a welcoming place to stay close to treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen someone receives a serious diagnosis, the focus should be on getting better, not worrying about accommodation or how they\u2019ll afford it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to support those people and their wh\u0101nau.\u201d<\/p>\n
For people like Carter, that support can be life-changing. <\/p>\n
Despite everything, Carter has remained remarkably pragmatic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just carry on. I can\u2019t do anything about it, so I do the best I can and get on with life,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Today, Carter manages his condition through daily dialysis and regular hospital appointments, while hoping he can one day return permanently to the Coast.<\/p>\n
While medical care has been essential, Carter said having somewhere safe and supportive to stay had made a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe place itself is fantastic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey look after you, they check up on you and make life as easy as possible.\u201d <\/p>\n
Carter was unaware of R\u0101nui\u2019s accommodation service until his health challenges brought him to Christchurch.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I got here and saw what they do, I was very appreciative,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took away that stress factor of wondering where I was going to sleep.\u201d <\/p>\n
Since opening, R\u0101nui Apartments has significantly expanded the trust\u2019s ability to support rural patients requiring longer-term stays.<\/p>\n
Last year, 463 West Coast families stayed at the apartments, compared with 82 the previous year, reflecting the growing need for accommodation designed for extended treatment journeys.<\/p>\n
As the BMCT prepares to attend Agfest, the West Coast\u2019s largest agricultural event, this October, Carter hopes more people will learn about the support available.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve got health problems and need treatment in Christchurch, there\u2019s no need to have that stress about where you\u2019re going to stay,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
With demand for accommodation growing, the BMCT is calling on the community to help ensure no family faces a health crisis alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe growing demand we\u2019re seeing shows just how important these services are,\u201d Kennedy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommunity support allows us to continue providing affordable accommodation and wrap-around care for patients and wh\u0101nau during some of the most challenging periods of their lives.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"West Coast man Greg Carter has spent 500 nights in Christchurch for treatment. With home on the West…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":609804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[7615,1443,16200,89,2220,4487,11586,42343,5504,2082,15209,134,527,2862,44660,2241,78,5511,2255,156242,5158,111,139,11550,69,114144,22139,2766,18324,3807,37458],"class_list":["post-609803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-7615","tag-about","tag-apartments","tag-attack","tag-carter","tag-christchurch","tag-coast","tag-failure","tag-following","tag-for","tag-greg","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-heart","tag-hokitika","tag-hospital","tag-in","tag-just","tag-kidney","tag-lying","tag-man","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nights","tag-nz","tag-rnui","tag-spends","tag-treatment","tag-wasnt","tag-west","tag-worried"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}