City rallies for health provider
Palmerston North’s Women’s Health Collective is buoyed by an uprising of city council and community support challenging a Midcentral District Health Board decision to cut its funding.
The trusted women’s health centre Te Ha¯ o Hine-ahu-one faces the loss of nearly $90,000 for a contract to provide sexual health services – the most well-used aspect being pregnancy tests.
Manager Jean Hera said without that money, the centre would struggle to survive beyond August, putting all of its services at risk.
She said she was excited about the wave of support.
Mayor Grant Smith has pledged to speak to board members when the health board meets on February 26.
He said he would be asking the board to honour the current contract, for at least long enough for the collective to come up with an alternative.
‘‘We understand medium to long-term the collective will possibly need another source of funding. The aim is to buy them some time.’’
City councillors Brent Barrett and Lorna Johnson have set up a Facebook event inviting people to stand up and support the collective.
They are invited to join a protest outside the board offices, while Hera will be leading the deputation.
Johnson said she became involved in her role as the council’s community services portfolio holder.
‘‘We think board members might not have been fully aware of the impact on the women’s centre, which stays open because of having the collective based there.
‘‘It is a centre which is also used by other groups.’’
Barrett said the community’s response to the threat to the centre demonstrated that it was valued.
‘‘It has a stellar track record over decades.
‘‘Anything that cuts back on primary health care is a false economy.’’
One of the other people who works from the centre each week is osteopath Gina Morris, who has been providing low-cost care for vulnerable women for 24 years.
‘‘Some of them have been abused and bashed and the safety of that just-women space is amazing.
‘‘I’m mortified they could be remove funding. Without that contract the centre is very much at risk.’’