Gympie residents can now access a range of vital health and community support services all under the one roof, with the official opening of the new Gympie Health Hub.
Located behind headspace Gympie at 4 Horseshoe Bend in the refurbished Baptist Church, the Gympie Health Hub has been made possible through an investment of $400,000 from Commonwealth-funded commissioning agency, CCQ.
Federal Member for Wide Bay, Llew O’Brien, says the new premise is a vote of confidence in the community’s own ability to deliver much-needed health and wellbeing services to the Gympie region.
“All communities are faced with increasing challenges relating to health needs and access to appropriate services, and Gympie and the surrounding suburbs is no different,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Organisations within the Gympie community have already been working together over many years to address these challenges, particularly within the priority areas of chronic illness, mental health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, child and youth health, and homelessness.
“The Gympie Health Hub will further encourage and enable a sharing of resources, a coordination of services and will help to promote the connection between services and those who need them.”
The PHN’s CEO Pattie Hudson said the decision to create a health hub was part of the vision the building’s owners, long-time Gympie residents Ross and Daphne Davies, had for the site, and was in line with the PHN’s values of innovation, collaboration and people-centred care.
“Our team has long had a presence in Gympie, first as a Medicare Local and now as a PHN,with an office space in Mary Street, which we shared with other community-facing organisations,” Mrs Hudson said.
“Collaboration is part of our integrated approach to service delivery, and when it became obvious we had outgrown our space there, it made sense to create this whole new Hub, to allow this support and approach to grow.
“Integrated care brings together more than just health providers and recognises other supports and organisations within our community can have an impact on short and long term health outcomes too.
“I want to congratulate the community of Gympie for their resilience, passion and ongoing commitment to working together for the enhancement of a happy, healthy Gympie –a great place to live.”
The PHN’s partners in the Gympie Health Hub include North Coast Aboriginal Corporation for Community Health; multidisciplinary therapy centre All Abilities; James Cook University; multi-service community organisation Kyabra; Queensland Injectors Health Network; Cooloola Human Services Network; Relationships Australia; Above and Beyond Disability Solutions; and training, wellbeing and disability support group Community Solutions.
Two dedicated meeting rooms will also allow for Hub partners and other community members to provide training and education, with one local unemployment group, Busy At Work, already conducting vocationally based training sessions, in barista and RSA certificates, for those long-term unemployed.
Gympie Regional Council Mayor Mick Curran says there is great value for the community in having so many services dedicated to improving the lives of Gympie residents under the one roof.
“Community members will be able to access a range of supports from this facility,” Mayor Curran said.
“Having easy access to community services has a huge impact on health and wellbeing, and we’re delighted the PHN has helped make this hub a reality.”