Nurse Unit Manager Midwifery Lesley Brown and Director of Midwifery Deanna Ward with Jemma Hall and baby Kaelan Hafstad-McLoughlin.
The three-year redevelopment and expansion of the Kirwan Health Campus have been completed, with a new community maternity and dentistry hub serving as the centrepiece.
Fresh facilities
Expanded maternity and oral health services will be housed in a new two-storey facility, with existing buildings on campus also refurbished as part of the $53 million project.
This increased capacity will improve access to healthcare services for Townsville’s growing population, while reducing the need for residents to travel to Townsville University Hospital or other health facilities.
The new Kirwan Maternity Clinic brings together several services into one space which were previously spread across multiple locations.
Townsville Hospital and Health Service Chair Tony Mooney said the expanded health hub was a fantastic asset for the growing community.
“It is about delivering more healthcare in the community, closer to where people live,” he said.
“Importantly, bringing these services together means fewer trips between different facilities and a simpler, more connected experience for women and their families.
“This expansion is also backed by additional frontline staff across maternity and oral health to support increased capacity and ensure we’re making the most of these new facilities.”
Mum’s the word
Director of Midwifery Deanna Ward said she was excited for mums and families to use the new facilities, which are already humming with activity.
“Providing community maternity services takes people out of hospitals and also provides continuity of care to women throughout their whole pregnancy journey and parenting services,” Ms Ward said.
As well as 15 consultation rooms, the facility was fitted out with dedicated ultrasound and procedure suites, onsite pathology collection, telehealth-enabled clinics, childbirth education facilities and family-friendly spaces.
Local mum Jemma Hall, who recently welcomed her fourth son, Kaelan, will be working as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker at the Kirwan Health Campus.
“This building will be so beneficial for pregnant mums – there’s even a play area for kids,” Ms Hall said.
“I think it will make everything less stressful for patients, and they'll enjoy coming to their appointments.
“Sometimes our patients get a bit nervous coming to appointments, so having our own room to meet with them and have a yarn with them will be much less confronting for them.”
The clinic is expected to support more than 21,000 maternity outpatient appointments each year.
Reasons to smile
The oral health expansion increases capacity from eight to 11 dental chairs, with the new space home to individual sound-dampened treatment rooms and new diagnostic imaging and digital dentistry technology.
For Clinical Director Oral Health Dr Joel Abraham, it was about improving patient comfort in what can be an anxiety-ridden experience for some.
“It's really nice to have a facility that just feels like home, both for the patients and the staff,” Dr Abraham said.
“The new technology we have available here is really impressive.”