Alcohol and Christmas can be a happy mix
Christmas is a time of celebrating and coming together for fun with family. Taranaki DHB Public Health Unit has some tips to keeping the alcohol in balance.
Get to your Doctor before Christmas
Don't wait - go see your GP now and get organised for Christmas
Public health warning Mohakatino - Motunui in Taranaki
The Taranaki District Health Board Public Health Unit today issue a public health warning advising people not to collect or consume shellfish from Mohakatino down to Motunui.

Taranaki DHB awards scholarships to encourage careers in health
Taranaki District Health Board is helping young students achieve their dream of working in the health sector.
Taranaki DHB jubilant at water fluoridation decision for Patea & Waverley
Taranaki DHB is delighted that the South Taranaki District Council (STDC) voted 10 -3 in favour of introducing fluoride into the Patea and Waverley water supplies yesterday.
Taranaki District Health Board signs Disability Strategy
Taranaki DHB has demonstrated its commitment to working collaboratively to reduce the impact of disability in our region by formally signing up as a partner to the Taranaki Disability Strategy.
Taranaki District Health Board Health Targets 2012-2013 - First Quarter
The first quarter health targets of 2012-2013 have been released by the Ministry of Health.
National Release of DHB's Serious & Sentinel Events
The Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand today released a report from all DHBs on their Serious & Sentinel Events.
Dr Alan Parsons Injury Prevention Scholarship goes to DHB health promoter
Taranaki DHB Health Promoter Rebecca Thacker has recently received the 2012 Dr Alan Parsons Foundation Certificate in Injury Prevention (FCIP) Scholarship Award.
International Social Workers have learning opportunity at Taranaki DHB
During November Taranaki becomes home to three international social workers as part of the Council of International Fellowship (CIF) Aotearoa New Zealand exchange programme.
Coastal Taranaki could soon have community transport
Help may be on its way to Coastal people struggling to get to essential commitments such as social service or hospital appointments and training opportunities.
Health Services available for young people in the New Plymouth Area
See inside for health services that are available for young people.
Children's Ward receives donation from Child Cancer Taranaki
Taranaki Base Hospital Children's Ward received a generous gift in the shape of an iPad recently
Interested in being a Midwife? Study in Taranaki!
If you or someone you know is interested in being a midwife, head along to one of the upcoming meetings to learn more.
Nominations open for TDHB Maternity Quality Committee
Call for nominations for the Taranaki District Health Board Maternity Quality Committee. Closing date is 26 October 2012.
Celebrating Social Workers Day
National Social Workers Day is today - 26 September and Taranaki DHB social workers are joining the celebration.
Not Even hits Waitara
Not Even is a fun, educational free evening for young people of about 12 to 15 years living in Waitara and their parents. Not Even is to be held at Waitara High School on Thursday 27th of September.
ShakeOut
On 26 September at 9:26am, Taranaki DHB will take part in the first ever nationwide earthquake drill.
Exercise ShakeOut has been created to help people and organisations be better prepared for an earthquake. More than one million people from across New Zealand have registered!
Good relationships key to Taranaki’s cervical screening success
Taranaki’s Cervical Screening Programme is extremely successful at reaching priority women, with figures showing that 84 percent of all eligible women in Taranaki and 67 percent of Maori women have had a smear in the last three years.
Army Logistics personnel visit Base Hospital
Taranaki DHB staff fielded questions from 20 New Zealand Defence Force personnel while on a visit to Base Hospital on Thursday 30 August.
Meningococcal disease
Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacterial germ Neisseria meningitidis. It can cause meningitis (infection of the membrane around the brain) or septicaemia (blood poisoning) and rarely, infection in other sties in the body.
CJ celebrates his one year anniversary as Taranaki Base Hospital’s regular ‘care clown’
CJ the Clown, aka Wayne Annand, first started clowning around at Base Hospital in August 2011 and is dedicated to the hospital voluntarily.
Taranaki District Health Board Health Targets 2011-2012 - Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter health targets of 2011-2012 have been released by the Ministry of Health.
Campaign urging earlier dementia diagnosis
A campaign is being launched in early September encouraging people showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease to talk to their doctor.
Taranaki DHB recognised for outstanding performance
Local Taranaki MP Jonathan Young has congratulated Taranaki District Health Board staff for their excellent achievement in elective surgery.
PROMPT course now in Taranaki
Taranaki DHB provided the Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training (PROMPT) course in house for the first time on Wednesday 22 August.
Dedicated nurse for Taranaki cancer patients
Taranaki cancer patients will have a dedicated cancer coordination nurse to support and guide them throughout their treatment.
David Street entrance closure
This Saturday, 25 August 2012, the David Street entrance to Taranaki Base Hospital will be closed while roading repairs are underway.
Project Maunga webpages get a makeover
A new look to our Project Maunga pages has been developed for you to keep up to date with Project Maunga.
Media statement on behalf of Spotswood College
Firstly our thoughts are with all the families involved in this situation
No ashfall for Taranaki from Tongariro eruption
The ash from last night’s eruption at Tongariro Volcano has fallen locally around the mountain and is being blown east. The area affected by ashfall does not include the Taranaki region.
World Breastfeeding Week 2012
The theme for World Breastfeeding Week 2012 is "Understanding the past - Planning for the future" and celebrates 20 years since the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) launched its first World Breastfeeding Week (WBW).
Winter flu levels are being closely monitored
Health officials are closely monitoring this year’s seasonal flu levels with regular reporting from surveillance general practices, Healthline and hospitals, says Health Minister Tony Ryall.
Resthome has gastroenteritis outbreak well contained
Taranaki DHB Public Health Unit confirmed that there is an outbreak of gastroenteritis at a Taranaki resthome and that it is being well managed by staff with just one case yesterday and none today.
Text reminders to be sent to patients
Taranaki DHB is set to send text reminders to those people with outpatient appointments in a bid to reduce did not attend (DNA) rates.
Shared Health Information Seminar
A series of community seminars is being held to get your feedback on future changes in sharing health information.
Influenza A circulating in Taranaki
Taranaki people suffering from influenza like illness is on the rise, said Taranaki DHB Medical Officer of Health, Dr Greg Simmons.
Information on Whooping Cough
Whooping cough (or pertussis) is a highly contagious illness that is caused by a bacterium (Bordatella pertussis). It can affect babies, children and adults.
Free General Practice Visits for Children Under Six
Taranaki District Health Board continues to reduce barriers to health care for parents of children aged under six by making visits to a doctor or nurse after normal practice hours free.
Kidsafe Taranaki Trust Safety Gate Scheme
In 2011 Kidsafe Taranaki Trust launched the new safety gate scheme in Waitara, where 40 child safety gates (valued at over $100.00) are available to low income families with children under five years old, and is now available to New Plymouth families.
Te Whare Punanga Korero Newsletter
Te Whare Punanga Korero Trust has produced a Newsletter.
Avalanche Patients
Two patients who survived the avalanche on Mount Taranaki are in a stable condition in Taranaki Base Hospital.
Bowel Cancer awareness week – don’t hide your symptoms
Bowel cancer is New Zealand’s most common cancer and second biggest cancer killer. The good news is that 75% of cases can be cured if they are diagnosed and treated early.
Free Professional training for staff employed in Pubs, Clubs & Restaurants
Staff at Taranaki licensed premises have the opportunity to up skill to help them be responsible hosts in their work place.
Like Minds on Access Radio
Tune into ACCESS RADIO 104.4 FM and listen to “The Importance of Culture to our Mental Health”
Breastfeeding Welcome Here Café in Opunake
Breastfeeding is welcome at Headlands Restaurant and Cafe in Opunake. The café has recently become part of the Breastfeeding Welcome Here project run by the Taranaki DHB, Public Health Unit.
Flu shots race towards million mark
New Zealanders are taking up flu vaccination in droves this year. The number of doses distributed so far this year in New Zealand has just passed the 910,000 mark.
World Smokefree Day marks countdown for Taranaki hospital sites
Taranaki DHB are celebrating World Smokefree Day with a wish come true.
Taranaki District Health Board Health Targets 2011-2012 - Third Quarter
The third quarter health targets of 2011-2012 have been released by the Ministry of Health.
Rescue at Fitzroy Beach
The 35 year old man who was rescued at Fitzroy beach Saturday 26th May is in a serious but stable condition in ICU at Taranaki Base Hospital.
Public Presentation
Taranaki DHB Mental Health & Addiction Services and Like Minds Taranaki are inviting the public to presentations about mental illness.
More Kiwis get flu vaccination
More than 858,980 doses of influenza vaccine have already been distributed this year in New Zealand, an increase of 28,530 doses for the same period in 2011.
Patea Parents Fill Their Baskets – Nga Kete Hauora
Parents in Patea are filling their basket with knowledge and skills to keep their whanau healthy. Nga Kete Hauora is a series of workshops coordinated by Taranaki DHB for parents on a range of health topics.
Mellowpuff Trust gives back to childrens ward
A distraction bag for children in hospital is an idea the Mellowpuff Trust has come up with to help children cope with their stay in hospital.
‘Not Even’ heads to Patea for parents and teenagers
Not Even is a fun, free evening for young people of about 12 to 15 years living in South Taranaki and their parents to look at ways of talking together about the hard conversations.
Youth Week: 19 - 27 May
National Youth Week this year runs from 19 – 27 May and the theme is Love the Skin you're In!
Clinical nurse specialists to work with older people
Taranaki DHB has implemented two new clinical nurse specialist roles to work with older people as the needs of our aging population become more complex.
Celebrating International Midwifery and Nurses Days
Taranaki DHB has produced a Special Edition of the Pulse to celebrate the wonderful work our midwives and nurses do.
Taranaki DHB smokefree policy ramps up
The Community & Public Health and Disability Advisory Committee endorsed Taranaki DHB becoming a Smokefree site by early 2013, today.
Privacy Awareness Week
This week is Privacy Awareness Week (29 April – 5 May) and is all about promoting awareness about privacy rights and responsibilities in the community.
Protect your child - Immunisation Week 23-29 April 2012
“Protecting your child and your community by getting your child immunised on time is the theme for Immunisation Week (April 23-29) – and it’s free.
Whanau ora health needs assessed
“A Whanau Ora health needs assessment undertaken by the Taranaki DHB of Maori living in Taranaki will be invaluable in planning how to improve the health of Maori living in Taranaki” says DHB Chief Advisor Maori Health, Ngawai Henare.
Practice nurses doing more for patients
Health Minister Tony Ryall says Taranaki people have better access to care provided by general practices, thanks to the 58,417 practice nurse consultations performed last year.
Top Taranaki men get protected
The Stratford Mayor, South Taranaki Mayor and New Plymouth Deputy Mayor are united in their drive to encourage their communities to get their flu vaccination early this year.
Dental clinic facility go ahead for South Taranaki
Children in South Taranaki will benefit from a state-of-the-art dental facility following a Taranaki District Health Board decision to locate the South Taranaki Community dental clinic at Hawera Hospital today.
302,000 free pieces of fruit a year for Taranaki kids
1,557 Taranaki primary school children in 13 schools are eating their way through around 302,000 free pieces of fruit this year.
Hearing Devices at Taranaki Base a big help
Amigo hearing devices are at Taranaki Base Hospital to help both patients and health professionals communicate.
Taranaki Community Oral Health Mobile bus in Patea
The mobile dental bus has been in Patea for three weeks and has seen almost 100 children.
Inglewood community fights the flu early
A cup of tea and a get together in Inglewood is the key to keeping the flu bugs away this year. The Inglewood Medical Centre is running a community flu clinic on Tuesday, 20 March, 9.00am to 4.30pm, at the Mamaku Centre in Inglewood.
Five Midland DHBs work together to be Smokefree/Tobacco Free by 2025
The five Midland DHBs have combined with the Midland Iwi Relationship Board (MIRB) to renew commitment to making their central North Island districts entirely Smokefree/Tobacco Free by 2025.
Taranaki District Health Board Health Targets 2011-2012 - Second Quarter
The second quarter health targets of 2011-2012 have been released by the Ministry of Health.
Serious and Sentinel Events Report – Making Our Hospitals Safer
A total of 377 serious and sentinel events occurred in New Zealand’s public hospitals in 2010/2011 – a rate of more than one for every day of the year.
Meningococcal Disease Cases Prompt Health Warning
Two confirmed cases of meningococcal disease reported this week have prompted a warning from Dr Greg Simmons, Taranaki DHB Medical Officer of Health.
A new pilot to help Taranaki children with weight issues
The Taranaki District Health Board and Sport Taranaki have joined forces to help combat the rise of overweight children in our community.