Site for health advice centre still undecided

Press, 14 December 1977, Page 16

Site for health advice centre still undecided

The question of whether Christchurch’s first family health counselling centre should be housed at the Bishopdale Community Centre has been referred back to the Waimairi County Council's coordinating sub-committee. The centre would be for families who had been through a crisis of some sort, and would be staffed by a psychologist and two social workers. The matter was discussed at length at a meeting of the council’s finance committee, and as with the previous discussions by the coordinating sub-committee, the members were divided on whether they thought the community centre an appropriate place. But all agreed that a decision had to be made soon, because the North Canterbury Hospital Board wanted an early decision for what the county chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) called an “inaugural centre of its kind.” Councillor H. M. Tait said she felt that the

centre was not the place for it. “It should be in medical centre,” she said. “The community centre should be left for ex* panding cultural and recreational facilities.” But Cr W. E. Murray' disagreed. “It is commendable that the hospital board wants to open a centre of this type and the community centre is the right place,” she said. Councillor R. W. Skjellerup said if there were accommodation available at the community centre, the Hospital Board should be allowed to use it- “There must be a need for the accommodation otherwise the board would not ask for it, and there is a great need for family health care, particularly in mental health. The community centre is the focal point in the area,” he said. The full council will have the opportunity to discuss the matter next Monday and make its feelings known to the subcommittee before a decision is made.