Update on Regional Emergency Response to Christchurch Quake

MEDIA UPDATE
For Immediate Release
Thursday 3 March 2011


Update on Regional Emergency Response to Christchurch Earthquake

Issued on behalf of:
Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB)
Auckland District Health Board (ADHB)
Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB)
Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS)
Northland District Health Board (NDHB)

Today’s media update on the emergency response and support from the Counties Manukau, Auckland and Waitemata DHBs, Northland DHB and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service. Each organisation’s Incident Management Team continues to work closely to support Canterbury at this time. We are endeavouring to provide regular regional media updates. Thank you for your patience.

Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB)
• Middlemore is still at capacity.
• There is some concern around the people in the community organisations and how they are coping.
• Otherwise it is business as usual.

Auckland District Health Board (ADHB)
Patients
We have received another patient and another has been discharged, so we now have:
4 children
6 adults
The 11 home dialysis patients are being cared for in the community. Five people who normally live in Christchurch have presented to our EDs.

Staff
Information about who has been deployed or is in Christchurch:
a neonatal nurse has gone this morning
two more will go Sunday
a psychaiatrist, went down on the 1st
an orthopaedic consultant, is there.

Capacity
Capacity is slightly better. We are at:
91% adult (39 beds free)
97% children (4 beds free)
85% women's (16 beds free)
Intensive care capacity:
Dept Critical Care Medicine 6 beds (of 14)
Surgical High Dependency Unit 3 beds (of 4)
Cardio-Vascular Intensive Care Unit 11 beds (of 16)
Paediatric Intensive Care 1 beds (of 16)
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 0 (of 42)

Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB)

No update today.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS)

Auckland Regional Public Health Service’s emergency response to the Christchurch Earthquake continues.

Staff deployment plans are in place. We have one Medical Officer of Health in Christchurch now with another due to be deployed tomorrow (Friday). Our first Medical Officer of Health who deployed last week has now returned from Christchurch.

Our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch. We understand that there are staff members who have been personally affected by this devastating earthquake and our thoughts are with them and their families at this difficult time.

As service demands continue with the measles outbreak and managing ongoing requests for public health physicians to deploy to Christchurch, we have moved into a Co-ordinated Incident Management Structure (CIMS). Rosters may change so that staff are rested.

Our thanks go out to all those who have volunteered to be on standby for Christchurch. Public health issues will be ongoing and many need a long term response that may include ARPHS staff. ARPHS continues to assist the Department of Labour at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre.

Northland District Health Board (NDHB)
Canterbury patients transferred to Northland for care and treatment:
• 10 dialysis patients and 3 caregivers

Staff - Information about who has been deployed:
• 1 x medical officer of health
• 1 x social worker (based in West Coast)
• 2 x mental health nurse
• 1 x aged residential care nurse
• 1 x general practitioner (Pegasus Health)

Other information
• Elective surgery and outpatient appointments continue as normal.
• Red & Black Day - this Friday, Northland DHB staff will raise funds for NZ Red Cross Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Further updates will be provided as necessary. Thank you to all media outlets for your patience.

ENDS

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