Fortnightly clinic provides healthcare access for vulnerable communities in Raglan

Fortnightly clinics at two Raglan marae have enabled Raglan Medical to engage with some of the most vulnerable members of its Waikato west coast community.

Mai Uenuku ki te Whenua is 12kms northeast of Raglan township and Te Papatapu 23kms south.

The GP and nurse clinics operate for eight hours and alternate between the two. They are supported by Te Toi Ora ki Whaingaroa, a charitable trust founded in 2020 to meet the needs of whānau struggling with COVID and mandatory isolation.

The trust provides immunisations, hepatitis C testing, traditional Māori healing and a cardiac nurse specialist.

Te Kōhao Health provides a health improvement practitioner and health coach, while several other organisations provide other services.

Pinnacle’s strategic development general manager Katie Latimer says the clinics have removed barriers caused by distrust, cost and lack of transport.

Ninety per cent of the people presenting have been Māori, 70 per cent female, 38 per cent aged 65 plus and 37 per cent whakapapa to the marae and attended because they could not get timely access to their GPs in other towns.

Raglan Medical and Te Toi Ora ki Whaingaroa are encouraged by the stories and experiences of whānau who attend the clinic, such as the 50-year-old wahine Māori who looks after young tamariki from extended whānau while also having her own mahi.

She had recurring medical issues, but finances were tight. By attending the marae-based clinic she was able to have continuity of care for herself and her whānau.

By using an opportunistic approach with a 41-year-old Māori man, the clinic was able to support him to be seen by a GP, have bloods taken, blood sugars checked, and appropriate medication prescribed.  

Reducing the barriers to access was key to engagement.