Earthquake Update Seventeen – Canterbury DHB 2 March

Earthquake Update Seventeen – Canterbury District Health Board

Wednesday 2 March 2011. 5.30pm
EARTHQUAKE UPDATE SEVENTEEN – CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD

Water
Water has been restored to 67% of households. Tankers are delivering water to areas without supply. You can also collect hand sanitiser, health information and facemasks from the Tankers.
You can expect water supply to be intermittent for the next two to three weeks.
Remember to boil ALL water before drinking, including tanker water, de-salinated water, and normal tap water. The City Council will advise when it is no longer necessary to boil or treat tap water.
Details of locations of water collection available at http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/water-tanker-timetable-for-deliveries/. Residents must take their own containers and remember to boil water before use. If you cannot boil, add 1 tsp of bleach for every 10L and leave for 30 mins. There are now two desalination plants based at Lyttleton and South New Brighton Park.

Chlorination of water supply
The city’s water supply has been chlorinated since Tuesday throughout Central Christchurch. It’s important that you continue to boil drinking water. Chlorination will cease once repairs have been completed, and the water supply is safe.
A free-phone dialysis helpline is available on 0800 881919. Any person who needs dialysis in the metropolitan area of Christchurch and is at risk has been moved to the North Island. In the future chlorination may be a potential issue for people on dialysis, however, it is very manageable as filtration can be fitted to the dialysis machine.

If staff have any concerns about dialysis patients they can contact Adrian Buttimore, Dialysis Services Manager at Christchurch Hospital on 03 364 0640 and ask for Adrian to be paged on 8202.

People must avoid beaches, rivers and other waterways
People need to avoid Christchurch beaches because they are currently contaminated with untreated sewage, says Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB).
“Testing has confirmed that water at some Christchurch beaches is contaminated at levels that could make people very ill from contact,” says Medical Officer of Health for Canterbury, Dr. Ramon Pink.
The water at all beaches between the Waimakariri River and Lyttelton Harbour should be avoided. The affected beaches include:
• Spencer Beach
• Waimairi Beach
• North Beach
• New Brighton Beach
• South Brighton Beach
• Christchurch Estuary
• The beaches at Sumner and Scarborough
• Taylor’s Mistake Beach
• All beaches in Lyttelton Harbour.

It is extremely important that people adhere to this warning as the current emergency situation means there is a significant risk of outbreaks of gastroenteritis.

Gastroenteritis
The incidence of gastroenteritis remains sporadic, with no large clusters indicating an outbreak. Water is now on to 67% of households. You must still bring to the boil all water used for drinking, food preparation and teeth cleaning.
Do not swim in rivers and beaches, where raw sewerage may be present.

Treat silt as contaminated
Work crews and volunteers are continuing to remove silt from roads across the city.
As of last night around 180,000 tonnes of silt had been gathered.
Silt should be treated as potentially contaminated and the usual precautions should apply when dealing with this matter. Wash and dry hands, use sanitiser and wear a mask if you have one, particularly if you are susceptible to dust.
Masks
High winds have created unpleasantly dusty conditions in many areas. Masks can be purchased from pharmacies and hardware stores, and are being distributed from water tankers. There is an adequate supply, as the Pandemic supply has been released.

Translations
Key health messages will be translated into a number of Pacific Island and Asian languages and will be given to staff on Operation Suburbs when available.
Plunket services in Christchurch
PlunketLine 0800 933 922 has experienced an increase in calls from Canterbury and from families who have relocated out of Christchurch, and there is a rise in the number of car seats requested.
None of the central city Plunket rooms in Christchurch have water, sewerage or power. Normal Plunket services and home visits are suspended, but all Christchurch families with enrolled infants and young children will be contacted by phone, starting with the youngest (4 weeks old) and moving through to older children, to establish who is still in town. Plunket will offer advice and support, and also advice on where to go or who to contact for other support services if needed.
Plunket nurses have been helping families at the Welfare Centres, and Plunket nurses are now working from a base at the Cowles Stadium Medical Centre. They are providing support to families from 9 – 4:00pm Monday to Friday.
Plunket clients who have left Christchurch are encouraged to contact the local Plunket office or clinic in their new location, or to phone PlunketLine to re-establish contact with Plunket services.

Fees for Prescriptions and urgent GP visits waived until Sunday 6 March
All Christchurch patient are exempt from the $3 pharmacy co-payment or any other part-charges or premiums on their prescriptions until Sunday March 6. Urgent GP visits are also free of charge, also for Christchurch residents who are not currently in the city.
Below is list of relocated and closed pharmacies. Contact amy.milne@cdhb.govt.nz if you need the full list of pharmacies, or GP practices.

Pharmacy Emergency Response Information Updated 2Mar
Organisation Address Open - hours
25/2 will probably be red stickered Hammersly Pharmacy Unit 2, 202-206 Hills Road, Shirley Open Emergency dispensing only (9-12)
Cannot contact. Can anyone advise status Redcliffs pharmacy 87 Main Road, Redcliffs, Christchurch Open 9am-4pm Mon to Fri Sat and Sun closed
Closed Cameron Smith Pharmacy 47 Cathedral Square, Christchuch 8011 Closed
Closed indefinitely Pharmacy Xtra 3/347 Corner Moorhouse Avenue and Madras Street Closed (until cordon taken down) indefinitely as far as we know
Closed indefinitely Tower Building Pharmacy Ltd 374 Montreal St, Christchurch Central Closed
Closed indefinitely Repeats being done by Dodds Murrays Chemist 673 Colombo Street, Christchurch CLOSED
Closed indefinitely Woodham Rd Pharmacy doing their repeats. Ferry Rd doing their methadone Lakes Chemists Cnr Worcester St & Stanmore Road CLOSED
Closed. Repeats from Linwood Dispensary. Unichem Eastgate Pharmacy 6 Buckleys Road Linwood CLOSED- 4 weeks
Dispensing Unichem Eastgate's repeats. Linwood Dispensary Ltd 6 Cranley Street, Linwood 9am -5pm Mon to Sun every day incl weekends. May extend hours
Has re-located in Staveley Street. Sydenham Central Pharmacy 359 Colombo Street, Christchurch Closed
Operating from Fendalton Mall Pharmacy Hanafins Pharmacy City Mall, 272 High Street Closed
Operating from Pharmacy at Phillipstown The Pharmacy @ 192 Gloucester 192 Gloucester St Christchurch Closed
Operating from QualMed premises 14 Pope Street Bealey Pharmacy Ltd 920 Colombo St, St Albans Not open to public as such but operating for anyone and everyone who turns up. For repeats phone first. Will courier repeats. Operating via Qualmed 14 Pope Street premises Mon to Sat 8-6pm Focusing on institutions and rest homes
Operating from Union Street Pharmacy Unichem Brighton Pharmacy 104 Brighton Mall New Brighton Closed
Operating from Waltham Pharmacy St Martin's Pharmacy 92 Wilsons Road, St Martins, Christchurch Closed Operating out of Waltham
Relocated 1/3/11 Now at shope 1B Addington Mall 300-304 Lincoln road Addington The Pharmacy @ Addington 294 Lincoln Rd Addington Christchurch 8024 Open 8.30am-5.30pm Mon to Fri Sat 9am to noon
Relocated into Eastern Aranui Trying to open 2Mar Eastern Pharmacy - Wainoni 84A Wainoni Rd Wainoni Closed Operating from Eastern Aranui from 25 Feb
Relocated to 206 Papauni Rd, Dr Lou Hoopers premises. Alabasters Merivale Pharmacy 200A Papanui Rd Merivale Open 8.30am - 5.30pm Mon to Fri Sat 9.30am to 1pm Re-located to 206 Papauni Road -Operating out of Dr. Lou Hooper's premises
Repeats being done by Ewart Douglas University Pharmacy University Campus Closed
Unichem New Brighton has co-located into these premises. Union St Pharmacy 18 Union St New Brighton Open 9am-5pm Mon to Fri Sat 9am-12noon, Sun 10am-12noon - can extend hours if neccessary demand

If you need medical care phone your own General Practice team first
93 of the 106 General Practices are now open. Phone your own General Practice (GP) Team first – if they’re not open a nurse will answer the call and direct you to the nearest general practice that’s open.
If your own GP’s phone isn’t working or you do not have a general practice please contact the Pegasus 24-hour medical centre in Bealey Avenue – 365 7777,
the Riccarton Clinic, 3433661, (8am – 8pm daily)
Moorhouse Medical, 3657900 (8am – 8pm daily)
The Pegasus 24 hour surgery attended 216 presentations yesterday.
The Rural GP Practice in Kaiapoi is also providing 24-hour services to patients in Christchurch who are not able to access their own GP Teams. All rural practices report increased workflows, as city residents move further out.
Please keep Christchurch Hospital for emergencies only. If you need an ambulance, please phone 111.
A new website has been launched providing useful health information for the public http://www.healthinfo.org.nz/

Below a list of relocated or closed GP surgeries. All others are open.
SURGERY STREET SUBURB CONTACT NO. UPDATES
Cashmere Medical Practice
215 Ashgrove Terrace Cashmere 03 337 0220 Closed - Transferred to HML. Any urgent cases, Triage and contact Dr David Rollinson on 021 024 68555
Doctors on Cashel
7 Cashel Street City 03 366 2578 CLOSED - but once staff will get inside the cordon they will be up and running
Gloucester Sports Clinic
211 Gloucester Street City 03 366 0088 Closed - inside the cordon -till futher noticed
High Street Medical Centre
1st Floor, Link Centre, 248 High Street City 03 366 0235 Closed - will reopen in 3 weeks time. Anything non-urgent can phone 021 360 663 (Pls call Dr between 0900-1700hrs only) All Urgent calls pls direct them to 24Hours Surgery
Pacific Health Centre
163 Worcester Street City 03 377 8159 Closed - inside the cordon -til futher noticed
Promed Edgeware Doctors
57 Edgeware Road Edgeware 03 379 1112 Closed - Due to Structural Damage - til further noticed
The Clinic
192 Gloucester Street City GONE - if pts looking for their med records, they can turn-up at the 24Hrs Surgery. They are looking after all the pts of The Clinic

ACC
ACC have established a free phone number for people wanting to know what their entitlements are. The number is 0800 101 996
Healthline - phone: 0800 611 116
Healthline provides health advice 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Phone: 0800 611 116. Calls are answered by a registered nurse. Healthline uses language line and can access translators in many languages. Healthline can also transfer callers to mental health professionals for advice and support.

Midwifery care
Pregnant women or new mothers leaving Christchurch for other parts of the country should contact the maternity unit at their new DHB to find a new midwife, if this hasn't already been arranged. Where possible women leaving Christchurch receiving midwifery care should let them know they're leaving so they can provide maternity notes to assist in the transfer of care.

Specialist Mental Health Services
If you are currently receiving support from a CDHB Mental Health Service team (including the Community Alcohol and Drug Service, and Christchurch Methadone Programme) your team and case manger can be contacted on their usual phone numbers. Some services have been relocated but they are functioning as usual.
Your General Practice team can also discuss support options that may help. Phone your GP for information.
If you have a mental health emergency and require urgent support contact the Psychiatric Emergency Service on 03 3640 482 or 0800 920 092.

Community Medical Centre, Cowles Stadium, Pages Road.
The Community Medical Centre is open 7 days 8am – 8 pm, staffed by Australian Army Field Officers and some local GPs and nurses. The Centre will provide free primary care until Friday, by which time the surrounding General Practices will be sufficiently restored to fully take up the case-load.
The facility will remain for several more weeks to house health and community support services that are currently either ‘homeless’ of for which there is a significant local need. Already on-site are a mobile community dental clinic, physiotherapy services, Plunket and a psychological support/grief counselling operating between 10am and 5pm.

Christchurch Hospital Services
Detailed information on the availability of Christchurch Hospital services can be found on the Canterbury DHB website www.cdhb.govt.nz

Media are not to access Christchurch hospital or staff without permission
All media queries must be directed to the CDHB Strategic Communications Team. Please phone (03) 337 7390, or 027 502 7523/ 027 531 4796.
Visitors to hospital are reminded to clean their hands with alcohol gel before entering clinical areas. This is available at the entrance to all clinical areas.
Lyndhurst Centre is closed until Monday and women with appointments will be contacted by a staff member.
Rangiora and Lincoln birthing units are open.

Limited elective surgery will resume on Monday 7 March.
Elective surgery will recommence in Christchurch on Monday 7, with a reduced capacity. The clinical Directors will meet tomorrow to confirm the plan, where available capacity will be spread across all surgical specialities.

Patient parking & shuttle bus for patients
Patients with appointments at Christchurch and Womens Hospital are asked to park at Hillmorton Hospital and catch the free shuttle which will take them to the main entrance at Christchurch Hospital. Parking will be free
Access to the parking at Hillmorton is via the main entrance on Annex road off Lincoln road and will be sign posted.
The shuttles will run from 08:00 to 17:00. Leaving Hillmorton on the ½ hour and Christchurch Hospital on the hour. Pick up at Christchurch Hospital will be the main entrance

Looking for an injured family member who may be in hospital?
Relatives looking for injured family members at Christchurch Hospital should go to the Great Escape Café in the main foyer where a relative centre has been set up and there are social workers and police available. To report missing people, contact Red Cross 0800 733 276.
The relative care centre at the Great Escape café is staffed by Social Workers. Police will be located at the Papanui Liaison office at Papanui Police Station.

Princess Margaret Hospital
A 24 hour ‘Transit Lounge’ has been set up which will triage older vulnerable people in the community who have high health or disability needs. The Transit Lounge will provide assessment and coordination of services. Access to the service is through SPOE (single point of entry) 337 7765. The service has reviewed 6 people today, with 5 staying overnight.

CDHB has set up a Facebook page for staff
Staff can keep up to date via Canterbury District Health Board’s Facebook page.

Emails of support for Canterbury District Health Board

If you would like to send a message of support to Canterbury District Health Board staff please email messagesofsupport@cdhb.govt.nz
A new website is being established with the assistance of NZ Post for national and international messages of support. A Message Of Support – amos.org.nz will go live tonight. Media release pending.

Canterbury Health Labs
Canterbury Health Labs are fully operational including their collection rooms at CHL (opposite main hospital entrance), TPMH and Burwood.
CHL collection rooms will also be open on Saturday morning 0800 – 1100 hours

The Diabetes Centre and Diabetes Christchurch Society at 550 Hagley Ave is closed. If you have any diabetes emergencies, please contact your GP in the first instance. If you are unable to find a GP, limited medical services are being offered at Cowles Stadium. A diabetes triage nurse is operating from Christchurch Hospital and is available Monday to Friday 8.30 to 5pm on 027 4543052. Alternatively call Christchurch Hospital 3640640 during these hours and ask to be put through.

Diabetes test strips and medications are free from your local chemist until Sunday 6 March. A limited supply of free meters is available at Cowles Stadium.

Dental care
The New Zealand Dental Association advises all patients in need of emergency or routine dental care to contact their own dentist first. If you can’t contact your own dentist, the oral health emergency centre has been relocated to Hillmorton. This is a Monday to Friday service only. For appointments ph 335 4260. A mobile clinic is available at the Cowles Stadium Field hospital. Christchurch dentists have an after-hours service. The contact number is 027 683 0679.

Check on your neighbours and keep in touch with family and friends
At times like this it’s important to look out for elderly neighbours and others who live alone.

Meals on wheels
If you have elderly neighbours or people who live alone, please check on them and help out if you can with meals and support. Anyone wanting to contact the Meals on Wheels office please telephone 03 337 7797.

Rest home residents being relocated
Over 300 rest home residents have been transferred within the region, and out of Christchurch to other regions from Invercargill to Auckland.
The volume and speed of transfers has meant that we have not been able to follow our usual process of working closely with families. Our social workers and the receiving DHB staff from around the country are contacting families affected by this transfer.
It is essential that all Canterbury aged residential care placements (including transfers within the Canterbury District) continue to be managed through Older Persons Health Specialist Service SPOE (3377765) and Psychiatric Services for the Elderly SPOE (3377501).
This is necessary to ensure our Canterbury resources are prioritised according to highest need.

If you believe your relative may have been relocated and you are unable to contact their usual aged residential care provider to confirm their location, please phone 337 8937 for information.
Respite care capacity is significantly limited and access is via GP referral only.

Vulnerable older people that urgently require assistance because of health or disability needs should contact Older Persons Health on (03) 337 7765 for assessment and advice.
Despite there being extreme pressure on Aged Residential Care beds within Canterbury, the Canterbury DHB is able to help people access services outside the region if necessary.
The Canterbury DHB is also establishing an additional respite service for older people in Christchurch.

Ministry of Social Development (MSD) Welfare Centres are currently located at:
Pioneer Stadium, 75 Lyttelton Street, Spreydon
Baptist Church, East Belt, Rangiora
Burnside High School, 151 Greers Road, Burnside
Windsor School, 170 Burwood Road, Burwood
Cowles Stadium (Pages Road) is an information centre that can link you to the support you need.

Work and Income offices
People can also visit these Work and Income offices between 9am and 5pm weekdays and 9am to 4pm on weekends.
New Brighton, 26 Beresford Street (Please note, this is not a welfare centre as stated in some advertising)
Hornby, 25 Shands Road
Riccarton, 76 Riccarton Road
Rangiora, Corner of Good and Blake Street
Kaiapoi Community Link, Unit 9 The Crossings, 77 Hilton Street
Ashburton Community Link, Corner of Cass and Moore Street
Shirley, 203-205 Hills Road
Non-MSD welfare centres (set up and run independently) – at 11.45am
Ashburton Open 30 people + 50 passing through. 300 registered. Rapaki Open 45 people, 40 overnight
Rehua Marae Open 60 people + 100 passing through
Tuahiwi 60 meals - no sleeping
A New Brighton community-led hub centre has been established to assist isolated residents with essential supplies and support and as a base of operations for teams to go out into the community. This has been set up with the help of NZ Police and donations from supermarkets (www.tvnz.co.nz).
Location: Roy Stokes Hall
140 Seaview Rd (between the Pages Rd roundabout and New Brighton Mall)
Hours: 8am-8pm, 300 – 400 are accessing this hub centre daily
Middleton/Akaroa – daytime hub operating
South Canterbury Civil Defence are operating Welfare Centre in the Caroline Bay Hall for registration of affected Christchurch residents, displaced visitors and any welfare issues related to accommodation and support. The Centre is open from 9:00am until 8:00pm and can be reached on 03 684 5110 (http://www.southisland.org.nz/Earthquake).

Emotional responses to the recent crisis
It’s normal to be feeling very stressed at the moment. Everyone is affected in different ways. Some of us may feel very anxious or low in spirits. Some of us may feel it’s hard to function. If you are worried about yourself or a family member, please talk to someone in your general practice team. They can call on a wide range of mental health and counselling services, and more counsellors are being brought in to help.

Coping strategies - stress and anxiety
The Ministry of Health has created a series of fact sheets with advice and coping strategies for people experiencing stress or anxiety in the wake of this week's tragedy. These can be found on the Ministry's website - www.moh.govt.nz - under the banner headline "Christchurch Earthquake"
Mental Health Nurses are available to provide support in the community. Please phone your GP Team for information.

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