November 20, 2012
O’Sullivan resumes clinics in Kaitaia
Kaitaia general practitioner Lance O'Sullivan says he will be going back to the community to find out if his new practice is what they need.
Te Kohanga Whakaora or the nest of wellness opened for business yesterday, six months after Dr O'Sullivan split from a local Māori health provider in a dispute over the direction of service delivery.
He'll be running clinics until 7pm to cater for people who can't get off work or can't find childcare, and he will also do house calls.
"I've had many valuable experiences of seeing people in their own homes. You can't sit in your doctor's office and truly know how warm or cold or overcrowded a home is by just asking a person. Being in a person's home is incredibly informative," Dr O'Sullivan says.
He will be joined early next year by a doctor from Te Rarawa, and he also has plans for a school-based health services and a housing improvement project.
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