Ray Messom, CEO, WentWest; Dr Hani Bittar, GP Leader, Healthicare; Nada Vidic, Healthicare Board; Lindsay Cane, Healthicare and WentWest Board; Stephen Bali, Member for Blacktown; Di O’Halloran, Healthicare Board and Chair, WentWest Board; Jane Assange, Director of Primary Care Transformation and Integration, WentWest; Councillor Chris Quilkey, Deputy Mayor, Blacktown City Council; Dr Amandeep Hansra, Healthicare Board; Dr Kean-Seng Lim, Healthicare Board and President, Mt Druitt Medical Practitioners Association; Dr Jaspreet Saini, Clinic Director, Healthicare.
We are pleased to announce the opening of Healthicare, a new Neighbourhood Health Hub located in the new Blacktown Exercise Sport and Technology Hub (BEST).
Supported by WentWest, Mt Druitt Medical Practitioners Association and Blacktown City Council, Healthicare is a not-for-profit organisation taking an innovative approach to building a healthier community through the delivery of integrated primary care services. The hub will be supported by state-of-the-art technology to measure impact, and professional development opportunities designed to encourage new clinical talent into the region, ultimately supporting improved health and social outcomes.
Ray Messom, CEO of WentWest stated, “Healthicare aims to remove the barriers for people to access high-quality, integrated, health and social care services. We know that this joined up approach is desperately needed in and around Mount Druitt. This new hub will directly support up to 8,000 families a year but will also support surrounding general practices and work closely with local primary care providers to make a difference for the neighbourhood population of more than 100,000 people. By increasing the health and wellbeing of the community at a population level, we hope to reduce the impact on hospitals and acute services and improve the experience of how families receive care across the neighbourhood. We are planning for a healthy future.”
Support from Partners and Local Member
Healthicare celebrated its grand opening on Saturday 3 February at BEST and we were fortunate to be joined by Stephen Bali MP, Member for Blacktown and Councillor Chris Quilkey, Deputy Mayor of Blacktown City Council.
In his speech, Ray Messom spoke about WentWest’s impact in Western Sydney over the past two decades and the opportunities that Healthicare brings to the region. Speeches were also given by Dr Kean-Seng Lim, President of the Mt Druitt Medical Practitioner’s Association and Chair of the Healthicare Board, and Dr Jaspreet Saini, Healthicare’s inaugural Clinic Director.
Guests were treated to a tour of the new hub, and we celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The opening of Healthicare promises a new future for primary care, with links to social, education, disability, housing and other services. This wraparound approach provides health care providers and their patients with access to a multidisciplinary team, such as general practitioners, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, allied health, such as social workers and psychologists, as well as pharmacists and patient advocates.
Dr Kean-Seng Lim, MDMPA President, commented, “Healthicare is the general practice of the future, not just for its patients, but also for the opportunities it presents to the primary care workforce, and Mt Druitt Medical Practitioners Association is proud to be part of this journey”.
By partnering with MDMPA, Blacktown City Council, community organisations, local schools, and BEST partners, Healthicare and WentWest are providing connections to community, and bringing health, wellbeing and opportunities to BEST and the Western Sydney region.
In a statement, Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale said, “WentWest is a major partner in BEST, and Healthicare aligns perfectly with Council’s aim of providing world-class health care and recovery facilities for all the community.”
You can hear more about Healthicare and its grand opening in our joint media release.
If you would like to know more about how you can work with the Healthicare hub, please email the Healthicare team at admin@healthicare.org.au
For more information about Healthicare, please visit their website, healthicare.org.au
8 February 2024