Review of health projects

Press, 11 July 1980, Page 5

Review of health projects

Tighter control of community health projects will be exercised by the North Canterbury Hospital Board. A Government grant of $927,272 to cover 11 community health projects has been received by the board but no assurance has been given that allocation of grants will be continued next year. The board had asked for $993,947 to cover costs for the coming year but it must make economies to cover the shortfall of $66,675. Money may be taken from one project and distributed to another to balance the community-care budget but no finance will be available from other board sources. The board’s chief executive (Mr R. I. Parker) told a

meeting of the board’s health) services committee yesterday that each community health-care project would be scrutinised and those that were not cost-effective were likely to be scrapped. Mr T. C. Grigg, the chair-; man of the board, said that I he was ven’ disappointed’ that no extra money had; been given in last week’s; Budget to community health i when increased taxes were' now being taken for alcohol and tobacco, the two areas which had provided community health-care money in the past. Mr Grigg said he agreed that it was important to ensure that the community was ; getting value for the money j devoted to community health projects. Some of the prob-1

lems were caused by the fact that many of the projects were originally set up in “great haste,” he said. Details of the community health grants are: child and family guidance centre ($156,772'1; primary health care programme ($108,585'1: community mental health service ($105,923); co-ordi-nation of geriatric and domiciliary services ($262,180); alcohol assessment centre ($107,506); diabetes education service (547.790); Lincoln community care project ($65,338); sheltered accommodation for psychiatric patients ($14,655); community dental services ($9900): assistance to the Aged People’s Welfare Council ($20,202): and the Methodist Central Mission ($28,420).