One-stop health shop

GOOD HEALTH: Professor Iain Graham (left) and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Arts and Sciences, Jenny Graham, say Southern Cross University’s new health clinic will allow patients access to everything they need under one roof.

Cathy Adams

A NEW $4.2 million health clinic was opened at Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus yesterday.

The purpose-built health and teaching clinic, incorporating 24 rooms for consultations, teaching and laboratories, is the model for the future, SCU’s vice-chancellor Peter Lee declared.

“It’s a wonderful asset not only for our students and for the university, but also for the wider community,” he said.

“It will provide our future health professionals with engaged learning opportunities.”

Officially opened by SCU Chancellor John Dowd and Page MP and university council member Janelle Saffin, the clinic will offer healthcare services to students and the community.

“The clinic has to meet the requirements of the NSW Health Board so everything you find in the normal health system is here,” the head of SCU’s School of Health and Human Sciences, Professor Iain Graham, said.

“It will work the same as someone going to their GPexcept you will be treated by a student under supervision, but patients can elect not to be treated by a student.”

The clinic will offer consultations in naturopathy, osteopathy, massage, herbal medicine, nutritional therapy, acupuncture and more.

Ms Saffin described the clinic as a great addition tolocal services.

“This is about putting the focus on health rather than illness,” she said.

“It is wonderful to have afacility at the university that not only trains our health workforce but provides avaluable service for the local community.”

Pro-Vice Chancellor of Arts and Sciences, Jenny Graham, from the faculty of arts and sciences, said the clinic would be a ‘one-stop shop’ for patients who would be referred to other professionals within the clinic rather than at various locations around the Northern Rivers.

“That one-stop shop notion is really important so you have that inter-professional relationship in situ rather than at a thousand and one places,” she said.