Ngāti Awa Kaumatua receive their Ngāti Awa Awhi.#2

Update 2:

Te Tohu o Te Ora o Ngāti Awa have started delivering Ngāti Awa awhi packs. A shipment of kai and bulk goods was delivered to Motiti island on Wednesday.

Te Tohu o Te Ora o Ngāti Awa will be contacting those kaumatua registered with Omataroa No. 2 Trust, Kiwinui Forest Trust, Te Tohu o Te Ora o Ngāti Awa Kaumātua Programme, Ngāti Awa Kaumātua registered with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa within the next 5 days. If you are not contacted within the next 5 days please call 0800 525 009.”

Public should be confident in Bay of Plenty health system’s COVID-19 preparations says healthcare leader

People should have confidence in the preparations being made on their behalf by their healthcare professionals says the person leading the Bay of Plenty District Health Board’s (BOPDHB) COVID-19 response.

“We’re seeing the very best of our people in this situation,” said BOPDHB Incident Controller Bronwyn Anstis.

“Everyone is going the extra mile, putting their hands up and taking on responsibility. For me it’s been quite a humbling experience. People are going above and beyond and we’ve seen the results of that in terms of planning and preparedness as a health system across the Bay of Plenty. It’s very much an attitude of we’re all in this together and we’re dealing with it,” she said.

Planning for the BOPDHB’s COVID-19 response began back in early January and this intensified as the threat developed to the point where on Monday 16 March an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was activated.

Anstis said there were a number of key actions and activities which had occurred during the planning phase to assist our health system in its preparedness. These included:

  • Reducing all non essential electives (surgeries) and outpatient appointments to create capacity within our hospitals
  • Moving to alternative ways of providing patient care, such as the use of telehealth (phone and video consultations with our patients)
  • Moving to a lockdown environment for our hospitals and reducing visitor flow to help protect our community and our patients from COVID-19
  • Establishing Community Based Assessment Centres (CBACs), allowing people to be assessed for potential COVID-19 symptoms away from our hospital and GP environments
  • Significant preparation (with planning covering workforce, equipment and training) across our hospital’s Emergency Departments, inpatient wards and critical care units
  • Working with our 18 Iwi in the Bay, and Māori in general, to ensure good access to healthcare services, including exploring different ways for services to be provided to rural and remote communities
  • Supporting our primary and community providers, establishing what supports are needed and working with them on this. 

What is an EOC and how does it work?

Anstis said the EOC activated on 16 March, which she heads up as Incident Controller, was the BOPDHB’s mechanism for running its response and explained how it operated.

“The EOC is our control centre for major operations of this sort and was last activated in response to the Whakaari – White Island eruption in December. Essentially it gives us a model by which we can coordinate such a huge operation,” she said.

“Within the EOC we have several key roles or functions. It’s an informational pyramid and a multitude of teams and services feed into these key roles, who in turn report to the Incident Controller to help ensure everything is coordinated across our health services – hospital and community.”

Staff welfare throughout the health system remained top of mind in such a demanding response said Anstis, and explained one way in which this was demonstrated within the EOC.

“This is a seven-day-a-week response so as part of our planning we have two EOC teams rostered to ensure our staff who are fulfilling these roles get sufficient breaks to recharge. The nature of this incident is that it is likely to be a lengthy response so managing people’s welfare is key.”

Anstis said the DHB wanted to pay tribute to the work which was ongoing in the Bay’s broader healthcare system to keep our communities safe from COVID-19.

“We are linked in with our GPs and community healthcare providers and they are all doing such incredible work for the communities we serve. Again it’s an attitude of getting the job done whatever that takes.”

Above: BOPDHB Incident Controller Bronwyn Anstis

For more details contact:

James Fuller

Communications Advisor – Bay of Plenty District Health Board

DDI: 07 579 8411

Mobile: 027 839 1791

Fax: 07 577 9195      

Email: james.fuller@bopdhb.govt.nz

Website:  http://www.bopdhb.govt.nz/

Media Release – Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management call centre launched

31 March 2020

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management has launched a new 0800 number helping Bay of Plenty households meet essential needs during the national rāhui period.

The number is 0800 884 222 
The call centre will be open from 7am – 7pm, 7 days a week.

Group Controller, Clinton Naude, said that the phone number was to make sure that no households ‘fell through the cracks’ during the national lockdown. 

“There are many services provided nationally and locally and people are making extensive use of these already – Healthline, Lifeline, mental health support, local phone numbers for essential services, business support and so on. This phone number is not a replacement for these resources. 

“This 0800 number aims to ensure that household basic needs continue to be met during the national lockdown. We are particularly concerned about people living alone, perhaps in isolated locations or without internet and smartphones. There may be people who are not mobile and have lost their usual support services at this time and are worried about groceries, diesel for their generator, collecting prescription medicines and so on. 

“We have seen some extraordinary community cohesiveness in recent days and I hope it continues. That sense of community is certainly filling some gaps and neighbours are looking out for neighbours, iwi authorities are making sure their Kaumātua and vulnerable are looked after, service groups are in touch with their members, volunteer groups are working hard remotely and essential services continue. I encourage everyone to use these vital networks where possible. This 0800 number is one more safety net to make sure no one is left isolated without necessities at this time.

“These are still early days of household isolation and it may be that help isn’t needed right now, but it is a number to put away for if or when it is needed. It is also very new, so we’ll also get a better understanding of the sorts of issues arising and what people’s needs are over the coming days,” Mr Naude said. 

The call centre will carry out a needs assessment for each household’s basic needs – food, groceries, heating or other household goods and services. The centre will also be able to provide advice to callers about other government support agencies when appropriate or they may be able to assist directly. 

ENDS

Noho Tawhiti. Tū Kotahi – Sit at a distance. Stand as one

For COVID-19 update Go to covid19.govt.org for more information

During lockdown we may experience all sorts of things: anxiety, loneliness, fear. Need to talk? Free phone or text 1737.  

ENDS

For further media information, please contact the duty PIM officer pim@bopcivildefence.govt.nz