A partnership between The Taranaki Health Foundation and Tui Ora will help create two dedicated spaces for whānau in the New East Wing Building at Taranaki Base Hospital.
The whānau rooms will be in the Acute Assessment Unit, a 20-bed unit that will provide immediate and specialist treatment for patients that come through the Emergency Department, and in ICU.
“Our holistic approach to health means we wrap a korowai of support around anyone facing challenges to their wellbeing, which includes their whānau,” says Tui Ora Pou Whakahaere Tahua (Chief Financial Officer) Scott Jackson. “Helping the Taranaki Health Foundation and Health New Zealand |Te Whatu Ora in Taranaki to provide a welcoming, comforting space for whānau at a time when their loved ones need them the most is very much part of our kaupapa.”
Taranaki Base Hospital is currently undergoing major development with the construction of the New East Wing Building, Taranaki Cancer Centre, and the newly announced Mental Health Rehabilitation Facility. The Taranaki Health Foundation is aiming to raise extra funds to provide enhancements that go beyond the standard level of care to provide Taranaki with the best equipment and facilities possible.
“This is a once in 50-year opportunity,” says Taranaki Health Foundation General Manager Adrian Sole. “Investing in enhancements now, while these fantastic new facilities are being developed, will have a positive impact on patients and their families for many years to come.”
The support from Tui Ora will be used to create family/whānau rooms in the Acute Assessment Unit and ICU wards that provide a comfortable and welcoming place for whānau to gather while their loved one is in hospital.
The whānau rooms will be homely and big enough for large groups to come together and connect during what is often a stressful time. A person’s wellbeing is much more than just physical, it is also mental and spiritual, and connection to family/whānau is pivotal to that.
The whānau rooms will provide the facilities required to make staying close to loved ones while they are in hospital easier such as comfortable seating, tables, TV screens, telephones, and a kitchenette with tea and coffee-making facilities, microwave and a fridge.
The partnership with Tui Ora is part of Taranaki Health Foundation’s Room to Dream initiative which offers businesses, community groups and individuals the opportunity to sponsor rooms throughout the hospital.