Northland Child Health Services

The Child Health Team are based at The Child Health Centre located within Whangarei Hospital Campus. This is a purpose built unit for the assessment of childhood medical, physical and developmental problems. The Child Health Team also run the Whangarei Children's Ward, and Child Health Clinics at Kaitaia, Dargaville, Bay of Island Hospitals, Kaikohe and Rawene.

Our current major fundraising Appeal for the Northland Child Health Services is for the Whangarei Children’s Ward Refurbishment Appeal. We know that tamariki who are welcomed and looked after in a caring, calm, supportive environment when they are in hospital are less likely to regress in their health, which makes for a quicker recovery back to good health and less stressful experience. This is something we would all want for our tamariki should they be in this situation.

The purpose of this fundraising campaign is to ensure that every child who becomes a patient at Whangārei Hospital benefits fully from a calm and supportive environment. Donations to this appeal will provide items such as comfortable chairs and beds for patients and caregivers, distraction devices (interactive wall designs, graphite wall wraps, treatment room monitors, TVs for patient rooms, special learning equipment, laptops, gaming consoles), upgraded furniture and new whiteware. We will also need your support with fundraising for Te Reo Māori resources (wall decals, books, and games) and additional paediatric medical equipment specifically designed to support the clinical needs of our tamariki. This in turn will have the added benefit of helping to reduce the pressure on an already stretched health system.

With your support for this appeal, we can go above and beyond the traditional clinical setting, which is more conducive to the care and environment we want to provide to our tamariki in hospital. You can find out more about the Appeal and how you can donate here: Whangarei Children’s Ward Refurbishment

We also manage and seek donations for the Child Health Advancement Research Trust (CHART) Endowment Fund. The CHART Fund was established in February 2007, with Northland Community Foundation (NCF) under the Health Endowment Fund. The objectives of the fund are for the advancement and research of health needs of children and young people in Northland. It is also to establish seed funding for a longer-term endowment in the hope that the fund may attract further donations so that over time it can provide an ongoing source of funding. CHART was set up initially by clinicians at the Child Health Centre of Northland District Health Board (DHB). The acquisition of the assets and funding of previous projects was a result of the voluntary efforts of the group led by Dr Roger Tuck as Chair of the Committee. (Please note: the CHART Fund can also accept direct pass-through donations to projects happening now).

On November the 16th 2020 the Northland District Health Board (Northland DHB) Child Health Services Team and Northland Community Foundation (NCF) held an afternoon tea and presentation to celebrate and energise the CHART Fund. The presentation showcased research and quality improvement projects across many child health disciplines.

To find out more about the presentation click here: Child Health Advancement Research Trust Fund  To find out more about the recent distributions of the fund click here: CHART Fund Sensory Library Purchases

We also receive other donations from the community to Child Health Services including the Whangarei Special Care Baby Unit. Thanks to a generous donation from Dairy Goat Co-operative Trust to Northland DHB via Health Fund PLUS, a time-saving device has been installed into the Whangarei Hospital Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) enabling staff to analyse test results faster. Click here to read the full story: https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/health-fund-plus-helps-ease-the-pressure/

The Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal is now complete, but has provided significant support for the Child Health services in Northland for many years. Click on the link here or below for further information about the past Appeal: Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal

You can gift directly to the Health Fund PLUSChild Health Fund so your gift can be used now by the service and you receive a 33% tax credit. Visit our donate page here https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/donate/ to donate by credit card or through your bank account. You will need to choose Health Fund PLUS and then write ‘Child Health Fund’ in the comments.

Or we can invest your gift and deliver the interest from these funds back to Health Fund Plus – Child Health Fund every year, forever! Click here to find out more about How to grow your gift with the Northland Community Foundation

You can also gift through your Will, and it can be as much or as little as you want, for example 5% to 10%. See our Legal Resources page here for more information: https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/resources/legal-resources/

Get in touch with us to discuss either of these options here: https://northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz/contact/