Alliance South announces Community Health Council members

Local communities, whānau and patients will have an even stronger voice within the health system, thanks to a newly appointed Community Health Council in the Southern district.

Six community representatives with expertise in community development, education and healthcare, including mental health and women’s health, have been selected for the Council and will help to provide input on health service planning, delivery and strategies.

The new Community Health Council members are Martin Burke, Ilka Fedor and Paula Waby of Dunedin, Bronwyn Grant from Gore, Lesley Gray from Invercargill and Russell MacPherson from Winton. (Brief bios attached.) Two other members will be appointed before the first meeting on Thursday, 9 February to ensure Māori are represented from the start. Four additional members will be appointed later, within the first year. These appointments, which will bring total membership to 12, will address any gaps in knowledge and representation on the Council. Associate Professor Sarah Derrett has been appointed as the establishment Chair of the Council for the first year.

More than 80 applications were received for the Community Health Council, which was advertised in October. Representatives were chosen by a selection panel comprised of independent community leaders, Iwi Governance, University of Otago and Southern DHB.

“We were very pleased with the response and the quality of applications we received made choosing members extremely challenging,” said Southern DHB Interim Chief Executive Chris Fleming. “The level of interest in the Community Health Council is indicative of just how crucially important healthcare is to the people of Otago and Southland and we are very grateful to all those who put their names forward for consideration.”

Alliance South Chair, Professor Robin Gauld, says the Community Health Council is another example of health providers in the district working together to ensure healthcare services are sustainable, accessible, and meet the future needs of the people in the district. “Alliance South is pleased to have helped make the Community Health Council a reality in the Southern district and we look forward to their contribution.”

About the Community Health Council:

Established as a joint initiative of the Southern DHB and WellSouth (working in partnership as Alliance South) the Community Health Council’s role is to:

• Ensure and enable communities, whānau and patient participation across the Southern district and national health systems.
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• Identify and advise on health systems and services for communities, whānau and patients, including input into the development of health service priorities and strategies.
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• Ensure reports, developments and initiatives relating to health services have appropriately engaged, or been developed with, communities, whānau and patients.
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• Ensure regular communication and networking with the communities, whānau and patient groups.
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• Link up with special interest groups as required, for specific issues and problem solving.

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Community Health Council
Member Bios

Mr Martin Burke Dunedin

Martin has held regional and national positions in Mental Health Addictions Service/ Consumer Advisory roles. Currently he is a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Otago, Christchurch School of Medicine. At the same time Martin is completing a Masters in Physical Education. Martin’s health fields of interest include alcohol and drugs, long term conditions and men’s health.

Ms Ilka Fedor Dunedin

Ilka has completed her Master’s degree at Otago University and is also trained as a Primary School teacher. Ilka is actively involved with a number of community committees in Dunedin including the cycling advocacy group SPOKEs and the Caversham Toy Library. Ilka is also a mother to three young children. Ilka’s health fields of interest include youth and children, and women’s health.

Mrs Bronnie Grant Gore

Bronnie is a secondary school trained Physical Education Teacher who has worked both in Southland and overseas. Bronnie has been out of teaching for 7 years raising her three children, on a farm outside of Gore. Most recently Bronnie has been involved with co-leading the establishment of the Gore Kids Hub project which was successfully completed and opened in February 2016. Bronnie’s health fields of interest include youth and children, women’s health and rural health.

Mrs Lesley Gray Invercargill

Lesley is a retired registered General & Obstetric Nurse, with a certificate of Social Work from the University of Otago. Lesley is actively involved in a number of community groups such as Seniornet, Cardiac Club, Combined Fellowship Club, Meals on Wheels, Coffee Club, U3A and Women’s Club. Lesley has a supportive husband and family and enjoys Community activities. Lesley’s health fields of interest include older persons and women’s health.

Mr Russell MacPherson Winton

Russell is a fifth generation Southland farmer who is married and has three grown children. Over the years he has been involved with Board of Trustees at a number of schools, been an executive member of Southland Federated Farmers, as well as Southland President. Russell was involved with setting up a program Southland Youth Futures which aims to create pathways for young people from school to farm employment, and create an atmosphere of true worth between employer and employees. Russell’s health fields of interest include rural health, mental health and men’s health.

Ms Paula Waby Dunedin

Paula has lived experience of disability and is involved in a number of disability-related organisations, locally and nationally. Paula has been involved with the Association of Blind Citizens of NZ, setting up an Audio Book Club at Dunedin Public Library, involved with the Disability Issues Advisory Group for the DCC and an active participant in the Otago Branch of Blind Citizens. Paula is currently the Local Coordinator for the newly established Otago Blindness Network and President of the Dunedin branch of the Disabled Person's Assembly. Paula’s health fields of interest include disability (sensory, physical and intellectual), women’s health and primary health.

Associate Professor Sarah Derrett Dunedin (Establishment Chair)

Sarah Derrett is works at the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago (Dunedin) where she teaches health systems and public policy and is Director of the Injury Prevention Research Unit. Sarah’s research is focused on patient-reported health and social service pathways and aims to learn from people about their experiences of health systems and their health outcomes. In 2011-12 she was a Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow, based at The University of Chicago, where she examined care integration at remote rural health clinics and Community Health Centers in the US. She is a member of the EuroQol Scientific Committee which is responsible for a leading international health-related quality of life measure (the EQ-5D), sits on the Executive of a national patient and family-led charity (Bowel Cancer New Zealand) and on the Board of a community mental health respite service provider (Kōputai Lodge) located in Port Chalmers.

ENDS

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