health promotion

Summer Holidays 2023-24

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Pohutukawa in bloom Tawhiti Rahi, Poor Knights Islands

Tarawera Medical Centre is only closed on the stat holidays over the holiday period. We are open the usual hours on;

Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 30 December 2023

Wednesday 3, Thursday 4 and Friday 5 January 2024

Please request any repeat medication in advance to avoid a last minute rush.

The summer so far is looking better than the entire summer we didn’t have last year so remember to be sun smart, safe in the water and travel safely on the roads. Celebrate responsibly and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

We welcomed our new GP, Dr. Peter Reeves, in October and he is settling into the New Zealand system which is quite a change from the UK. Some of our patients have already met him and are giving us fantastic feedback on the care he is providing. It is great to have another hand on deck after a COVID winter extremely short staffed but we are still working through a huge backlog of work and appreciate your understanding.

Influenza Vaccination Clinics Reminder

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Just a reminder that we will be continuing our ‘Flu vaccine clinics from 2:30-4:00pm this week from Tuesday to Friday. As usual these are outside PathLab.
A further reminder to those who are eligible for the new bivalent COVID booster to book in through bookmyvaccine. With 300 COVID related deaths already in 2023 maximising your protection is a positive step to reduce your risk and limit the load on an already overstretched health system.

Influenza Vaccinations 2023

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It’s that time of the year again. Influenza Vaccinations are going to be available from Monday 3 April.

We will again be running afternoon clinics between 2:30 and 4pm outside the PathLab. This will be for adults only and needs no appointment. For eligible children please book in at the surgery

Vaccination is free for all eligible people.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA for FREE seasonal influenza vaccination in 2023:

  • Pregnant people (any trimester)
  • People aged 65 years older 
  • Māori and Pacific peoples aged 55 to 64 years
  • People aged 6 months to under 65 years with any of the medical conditions listed in this pdf
  • People under 65 years of age who have schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizoaffective disorder; OR are currently accessing secondary or tertiary mental health and addiction services
  • Children aged 6 months to 12 years inclusive      Note: For eligible tamariki who require two                                                                                      doses of the vaccine, both doses are funded.

COVID boosters would also be wise with winter looming. From 1 April an additional booster with the updated bivalent vaccine is available for those over 30 or who have higher risk of severe illness who have not had a booster of had a case of COVID in the past 6 months. These can be arranged via Book My Vaccine.

Summer Holidays 2022-23

This entry was posted in News and tagged COVID-19 health promotion prevention sun protection sunscreen Tarawera Medical Centre vaccination on by
Resident artist Sarah Morris’s Holiday display

The team at Tarawera Medical Centre would like to wish all our patients a happy Christmas and a safe New Year. It has been another very challenging year with COVID and we would like to thank everyone for their patience as we struggle with the workload. The Health system is under immense pressure and COVID case numbers are ramping up again so a wise present to yourself would be to get a booster vaccination if you are eligible for one.

As usual we are open except on the stat holidays but are extremely short staffed so these days are essentially for acute urgent issues only. There are no routine appointments available over this time as we are still having to deal with an increasing number of COVID cases every day. Please make sure you have ordered repeat prescriptions well in advance to avoid a last minute rush.

Holiday hours;

Thurs 22 December, Fri 23 – 8:00-4:30

Sat 24, Sun 25, Mon 26, Tues 27 – closed

Weds 28, Thurs 29, Fri 30 – 8:00-4:30

Sat 31, Sun 1 Jan, Mon 2, Tues 3 – closed

Wed 4, Thurs 5, Fri 6 – 8:00-4:30

If you have an emergency call 111. Afterhours or on Public Holidays calling our number 07 3238499 will connect you with a registered nurse for advice

Enjoy the holidays, stay safe and remember sun protection.

Flu Vaccination Update April 2022

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Having run our outdoor Flu Vaccination Clinics over the past 2 weeks we have managed to give approximately 650 vaccinations. From tomorrow, 14 April, we will no longer be doing outdoor clinics and vaccinations will be done in the surgery or in your car.

If you would like to arrange a Flu vaccination please phone and arrange a nurse appointment or come to the surgery and knock on the door and we will arrange to do your vaccine as promptly as possible.

Eligibility remains the same with Influenza vaccinations being free for all those over 65 and those under 65 with chronic health conditions. This year they are also free for Māori and Pacific people age over 55. There is also no delay for those who wish to get a vaccination but are ineligible for a free vaccine. If you don’t qualify for a free vaccine the cost is $35.