New Child Health Centre and carpark open at Whangārei Hospital

Whangārei Hospital's new Child Health Centre was officially opened today, giving children, young people, and their families across Northland a purpose-built home for outpatient and community child health services, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. "Children and young people in Northland deserve to receive care in facilities that are built for them," Mr Brown says. "This $35 million centre replaces an ageing children's clinic with a modern, welcoming space designed around the needs of children and their families." The centre provides medical and non-medical outpatient and community services for children aged 0 to 16, and up to 21 in some cases. Services include paediatric medical services, paediatric community nursing, healthy lifestyle programmes, eczema and allergy clinics, visiting specialist clinics, and electroencephalogram (EEG) clinics. It sits alongside the hospital, connected by a link bridge, placing child health services close to the Special Care Baby Unit, paediatrics, and maternity services. "That proximity matters for families moving between services, and so does the design of the building itself. "A hospital visit can be daunting for a young child, so this centre has