Trust Purchases Additional Building And Extends Services

Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust Purchases Additional Building And Extends Services to Include Dental And Counselling

For immediate release: Monday 23 May 2011

The Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust (CCHT) has joined forces with the Canterbury Dental Association to offer free dental procedures to some members of the Canterbury community who would otherwise not be able to access treatment.

The move into dental services coincides with the hospital’s inclusion of free counselling services, which it began offering Cantabrians immediately after the 22nd February earthquake.

In order to accommodate the two new services, the Trust has purchased the property adjacent to the Canterbury Charity Hospital at 349 Harewood Road. The 351 Harewood Road property requires some level of conversion to its new uses, with the Trust actively raising funds for this purpose.

Mr Philip Bagshaw, CCHT’s chair, says 351 Harewood Road came onto the market at just the right time, as the premises at 349 Harewood Road were bursting at the seams.

“Immediately after the earthquake it became clear there was a great and growing need for counselling services, as many Cantabrians are suffering from post-earthquake stress and trauma. In order to meet the immediate needs of our community, we suspended all elective day surgery to provide free counselling services seven days a week,” explains Mr Bagshaw.
The demand for professional counselling services was overwhelming and porta cabins were brought in to accommodate further volunteers and patients. Mainzeal Construction and March Construction kindly provided these free of charge.

Over the past months, more than 40 counselling professionals have provided their services free of charge, seeing approximately 25 patients per day. “There is no doubt in our minds that the demand for counselling will continue over the coming months and possibly even years as a result of the earthquake. We needed to find a way to continue to offer counselling services, but also needed to get back into providing day surgery and medical outpatient clinics. The purchase of 351 Harewood Road will enable us to do both, and more,” says Mr Bagshaw.

The two-storey building at 351 Harewood Road will provide space for three consulting rooms, waiting room, staff areas and a dental surgery. “The extra space will also give us the opportunity to branch into other medical areas down the track. It is a very exciting time for CCHT, as we continue to help those in our community who need medical and now dental care,” says Mr Bagshaw.

Dr Susan Gorrie, Immediate Past President of the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Dental Association, says local dentists are enthusiastic about offering their services to the Charity Hospital.

“The public hospital’s dental department now offers only very limited dental services. There is a large gap in dental services that is not being filled. What was an 18-chair facility at Christchurch Public Hospital is now spread around the city and greatly reduced in number. We have conducted a survey among our members and the early indication is that we will be able to provide dental services at the Canterbury Charity Hospital three days a week,” explains Dr Gorrie.

Over the coming months, the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Dental Association will work with CCHT to establish what procedures will be offered, but this is likely to include extractions, root fillings on front teeth and routine restorative work, such as fillings. “A lot of people simply can’t afford dental treatment. We hope to offer patients one course of treatment to make them dentally fit,” says Dr Gorrie.

The referral system will be similar to that already in place at the Charity Hospital, with GPs referring patients who cannot access public health care and who do not have the personal funds to pay for it privately.

Information on the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust can be found on the Trust’s website at www.charityhospital.org.nz

ENDS

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