A series of meetings taking place this month will give the public a chance to learn more about the plans for a new Mercury Bay Medical Centre.

The three meetings will provide an update of where the project's at, its history, what the next steps are, as well as offer people the chance to ask The Thames-Coromandel District Council questions.

The concept site plan for the proposed Mercury Bay Medical Centre. To see a larger version click on the image above. Image: TCDC

In July an agreement was reached for a parcel of land on Joan Gaskell Drive in Whitianga to be the proposed site of the new facility. The site is approximately 4000m2, with developers Whitianga Waterways making the land available to the Mercury Bay community, at no cost to ratepayers.

In June council supported the agreement for the land to be used for the purpose of a medical centre. Council also endorsed the Mercury Bay Community Board to start research and investigations into establishing the feasibility of the proposal, and report back to council on the outcomes. 'This is a milestone occasion for Mercury Bay and the benefits of having a medical facility is that healthcare providers will be available in the one place, which will save customers time and money,” says Mayor Glenn Leach.

'Currently many people travel to Auckland, Hamilton and Thames to meet with medical specialists, which can be stressful, costly and exhausting. Having a wider range of healthcare services provides more security and assurance for people to stay within the district.”

Since the announcement was made council has received positive feedback from both permanent and absentee residents and ratepayers.

Glenn says many absentee ratepayers have told council they will now consider staying longer, or even permanently, if there's a wider range of medical services available.

'We've also had feedback from absentee ratepayers who provide specialist medical services who could be interested in renting space,” adds Glenn.

Services that could be provided for at the facility include audiology, obstetrics, paediatric, psychology/mental health, screening services, speech and language therapy, oncology, gynaecology, daytime surgery, occupational health, and diet and health promotion.

WHEN AND WHERE THE MEETINGS WILL TAKE PLACE

The three meetings will all have the same presentation and will take place in Mercury Bay South, North and Whitianga from August 22-24.

• Monday, August 22 – Cooks Beach Community Hall – 7pm
• Tuesday, August 23 – Matarangi Fire Station Wednesday – 7pm
• Wednesday, August 24 – Whitianga Town Hall Supper room – 7pm

For more information the Thames-Coromandel District Council's website at: http://www.tcdc.govt.nz/mbmedcentre