10 April 2018

To mark April Falls Month, Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) is urging Whanganui residents to ask themselves how safe their home is, given that many things we look at every day could be potential hazards that lead to a fall.

WDHB director of nursing and Patient Safety and Quality general manager Sandy Blake says “while the risk of falling increases with age, the good news is – we can all do something about it”.

8 November  

Whanganui now has three confirmed cases of mumps – two adults and one child who have been notified to the Public Health Centre.

Whanganui medical officer of health Patrick O’Connor says more than 900 cases of mumps have now been notified across New Zealand with most in Auckland, and most in the 15 to 24 age group.

Mumps is caused by a virus which can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or passes it on through their saliva when kissing or sharing food and drink. Antibiotics will not treat the infection or prevent spread.

24 October 2017 

They know it’s not going to be easy, but Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) board members Stuart Hylton and Dame Tariana Turia are committed to drinking water only to support next month’s Switch to Water campaign.

The New Zealand Dental Association is challenging the public to drink water only, for 30 days in November, in the hope it will encourage participants to carry on doing so once the challenge ends.

3 October 2017

Whanganui District Health Board (WDHB) is putting its full support behind this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week from Monday 9 October through to Sunday 15 October.

Health promoter (mental health) Sarah Hawken says the week’s theme ‘Nature is key’ is the ideal prompt for the DHB to encourage Whanganui residents of all ages to look after their mental health by spending time outdoors with their colleagues, friends and/or family.

5 October 2017

Healthcare of New Zealand, healthcare rehabilitation group manager Russell Simpson has been appointed Whanganui District Health Board’s (WDHB) new chief executive, WDHB board chair Dot McKinnon announced today.

“On behalf my board colleagues, I want to say how delighted we are that Russell has accepted the role and that there may be an opportunity for departing chief executive Julie Patterson to meet with him for a ‘handover’ before she leaves us on Friday 20 October,” Mrs McKinnon said.

25 September

Whanganui Stop Smoking Service, Nga Taura Tuhono, is celebrating its first year knowing that, compared with all other New Zealand ‘quit’ services, they have achieved the highest rate of engagement with people who smoke – and more importantly, that many of those people have quit altogether.