health promotion

Influenza Vaccine

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The annual Influenza vaccine is now available. Drop in as soon as convenient to avoid a last minute rush.

It is free to those over 65 and patients under 65 with certain medical conditions. Shingles vaccine is also funded for patients between 65 and 80 and can be given at the same visit.

Thie influenza vaccine may be contraindicated for patients on 4 specific anticancer treatments so please advise the staff if taking any of the following from an Oncologist;

  • atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®),
  • ipilimumab (YERVOY®),
  • nivolumab (OPDIVO®)
  • pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®)

 

Sun Protection

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The apparent early arrival of summer this year with stunning Labour Weekend weather is a timely reminder to be SunSmart.

This Sun Protection Alert updates daily with the seasons as a reminder for the hours protection is needed.

Another useful tool is the New Zealand developed smartphone app UVLens which is available for  Apple iOS and Google Play for Android. The UVLens app allows you to personalise the warnings to your skin type, hair colour etc.

Sun protection is the main method we have to prevent skin cancer. Research confirms that it is never too late to use sun protection with people later in life who use regular sunscreen having fewer skin cancers than those who use it intermittently. In Australia melanoma rates have peaked and are starting to drop as the group targeted by their SunSmart campaign are replacing the generations who grew up with no sun protection. Unfortunately in New Zealand we are not yet seeing that trend and dying of melanoma is not something we want to beat the Australians at.

Enjoy the lovely sunny weather but remember to be SunSmart.

Summer holidays 2017-18

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Sarah with the artistic display she has created for Christmas

Sarah with the artistic display she has created for the notice board in the waiting room

We would like to wish all our patients a safe and happy Christmas and New Year over the summer holidays. Our resident artist, Sarah Morris, has created a lovely seasonal display in the waiting room. This has a reminder about our hours over the holidays. Basically we are open normal hours except for the stat holidays.

Closed Saturday 23 – Tuesday 26 December,

Open as usual Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 and Friday 29 December,

Closed Saturday 30 December – Tuesday 2 January,

Open as usual Wednesday 3, Thursday 4  and Friday 5 January

When we are closed the usual nurse triage service is available by phone and the usual GP afterhours clinics are availabe at Whakatane Hospital.

A reminder to make sure that you have enough of your regular prescription medications prior to the holidays. Repeats can be requested via our email prescription request.

We have had an early start to summer with the good sunny, dry weather which has been great for the beach but is a reminder to be careful in the sun. Try and avoid the sun and seek shade, use long sleeved sun protective clothing, a wide brimmed hat and plenty of sunscreen. See the Sunsmart website for more info on the usual Slip, Slop, Slap and Slide advice. The sun protection alert above shows the hours that sun protection is advised for our region of the North Island and updates daily.

Winter illnesses

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The winter season is well and truly upon us with this cold snap and the past few weeks has seen a real run of colds and the first real cases of influenza for the year. Remember that most winter illnesses are caused by viruses and don’t benefit from, nor respond to, antibiotic treatment. Unnecessary use of antibiotics enables bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance so it is unwise to take an antibiotic “left over” from a previous course prescribed for you or someone else. The old fashioned advice of using Paracetamol to help fevers, aches and pains, along with some rest and plenty of fluids remains valid today. Lozenges, gargles and lemon drinks can all help soothe the symptoms while your immune system overcomes the infection. Covering your face when coughing or sneezing, using disposable tissues and washing hands can help limit the spread of infection. Morning walk-in clinics for our enrolled patients are running at full capacity so there can be a bit of a wait. Influenza is vaccine preventable and it’s not too late to have the vaccine which is free to over 65s and others with certain conditions.

This page from the NHS on Winter Illnesses has some interesting facts

Summer Holidays 2016-17

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Early morning surfing. Earlier or later in the day is a great time for the sea as the sun is not so intense.

Hopefully you are all enjoying the beginning of the summer break with a safe Christmas and looking forward to the New Year. It has been another busy and successful year for the practice with our ongoing focus on quality and education. Two more  Nurses, Ngawai and Keri, completed the PRIME training course, spending a week in Hamilton to do this. This gives them fantastic theoretical and practical skills to assist the St. John ambulance when needed. In addition Jackie Morris is now an accredited Prescribing Nurse. Jackie completed her Masters Degree in Nursing and a Prescribing module some years back and with recent legislation changes is now authorised to prescribe a wide range of medication appropriate to managing Primary Care medical conditions.  When you make an appointment at Tarawera Medical Centre you are always seen by a fully qualified and experienced nurse or doctor. We do not expect our patients to discuss their personal issues with health care assistants before seeing a fully qualified health professional.

Tarawera Medical Centre will reopen on Wednesday 28 December and again be closed for the stat holidays over the New Year weekend. Please check that you have sufficient supplies of your medication if going away and use the email request form if you need a new prescription. t

Best wishes for the New Year. Travel safely and remember to be Sunsmart.