New nursing leader for ProCare Māori Advisory Committee

New nursing leader appointed to ProCare’s Māori Advisory Committee

The ProCare Health Limited Board has appointed Lorraine Hetaraka-Stevens (Registered Comprehensive Nurse) to ProCare’s Māori Advisory Committee. The committee provides governance and advice to ProCare regarding the health and wellbeing of the network’s more than 87,000 Māori patients.

Ms Hetaraka-Stevens is the Associate Director of Nursing - Māori at Auckland District Health Board (DHB) and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland’s School of Nursing.

The Chair of the ProCare Health Limited (PHL) Board Dr Harley Aish has welcomed Ms Hetaraka-Stevens to the committee. “The ProCare Boards and the Māori Advisory Committee are delighted to have Lorraine Hetaraka-Stevens join the committee. She brings to the ProCare table a wealth of nursing experience in a range of fields, including maternity and paediatrics, and joins us at a time when there is a growing spotlight on the significant and critical role that nurses play in primary care.

“Lorraine’s leadership and expertise in Māori health, her work with whānau, mana whenua and community groups, along with her experience with PHOs, means she brings a strong and highly relevant set of skills to ProCare’s Māori Advisory Committee. She has already provided valuable input into the development of a new Māori Health Strategy which will look at how ProCare can make a real difference to improving health outcomes for whānau.

The ProCare network has recently achieved strong clinical results for our high needs patients, (90% for more heart and diabetes checks and 107% for better help for people to quit smoking) and now we have the challenge of shifting from prevention to quality management of conditions. We see our nursing workforce as pivotal in achieving these better health outcomes for Māori.”

Commenting on her appointment Ms Hetaraka-Stevens says: “This is a great opportunity to participate and contribute to improving health outcomes for ProCare’s Māori population. I’m really excited to be involved in a dedicated focused committee that is committed to reducing inequities. Key focus areas for me will be looking at targeted, evidence based strategies to improve CVD and diabetes management for Māori, workforce development across the ProCare network, and initiatives focused on achieving whānau ora.”

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