Chief Minister and Minister for Health Katy Gallagher has delivered on an ACT Government election promise and has officially opened a nurse-led walk-in centre (WiC) which is located in the Tuggeranong Town Centre.
The new Tuggeranong centre follows the success of the first walk-in centre, located on the Canberra Hospital campus, which saw over approximately 63,000 patients since it was opened in May 2010. A walk-in centre will open its doors in Belconnen on Tuesday July 1, 2014.
“The popularity of the walk-in centre model is clear with 63,000 people visiting the walk-in centre at the Canberra Hospital to get assistance for minor illnesses and injuries during the four years that its doors were open,” the Chief Minister said.
“The ACT Government recognised how popular this type of facility was with the Canberra community and gave a commitment at the last election to deliver two walk-in centres, one in Tuggeranong and one in Belconnen, closer to where people live.
“I am excited to see that these centres are now open for business and will provide a great option for families and individuals who need medical help for minor injuries and illnesses without having to drive too far from their homes.
“The government has also strategically located these centres in the new Belconnen and Tuggeranong Community Health Centres which are already providing a range of health services in a community setting like physiotherapy and dental care as well as alcohol counselling.”
Data collected from the tens of thousands of presentations to the TCH walk-in centre showed 79% of people who sought help at the centre were from Tuggeranong while 21% were from Canberra’s north.
“I would like to thank all the hard working nurses and other professionals who worked to make the TCH WiC such a success,” the Chief Minister concluded.
(Katy Gallagher Media Release)
Loading ...
