Holistic Pacific health provider now delivering specialist maternity care

It’s been a full nine-months gestation for Pacific Health Provider, The Fono, and their Kahu Taurima – maternity and early years’ service is really delivering.

The holistic Pacific healthcare provider began its specialist ‘early years’ journey in December and has worked to overcome some challenges along the way says their Manager Public Health, Janet Masoe-Hundal.

“We recognised the need and demand for specialist Pacific maternity and early years health care, many Pasifika families were missing out, and we wanted to provide clinical staff who were culturally appropriate, who our mothers and their families could relate to. By Pacific, for Pacific.”

Initially Janet sought a specialist doctor and midwife to supplement their existing health team. They are still seeking to fill these vacancies but are thrilled to have their dedicated Registered Nurse Elizabeth Mua, along with the incredibly nimble Fono team who energetically lean-in as required.

“We also work closely with the Pacific Kahu Taurima team at Health New Zealand who give us the best programme support, encouragement, information and of course, funding.”

Janet says their focus is providing the head start for Pacific kids and parents that the general population takes for granted.

“For much of New Zealand, a midwife is an expectation. But there have been too many pregnant Pasifika who’ve been largely invisible to the system, who’ve been turning up to hospital for delivery without any prenatal care and history.”

She says this was made clear by the 70 families who visited their pop-up site at the Pasifika Festival in March where many young families were not aware of what care was available to them during and after pregnancy, 61 of them signed up to their service. A lack of regular checkups means there is no health monitoring of the pregnancy and the baby’s development, adds Janet.

“We want to make sure any health concerns are addressed, and complications avoided. And we make sure they have the best guidance on nutrition, exercise and overall wellbeing while pregnant.”

Launching Kahu Taurima

From their humble beginnings in 1987 as an early Pacific GP clinic in West Auckland, The Fono now offers full wraparound primary healthcare and whānau support to Pasifika across Auckland and in Whangārei. The Fono’s Kahu Taurima service is available to pregnant Pasifika and families with babies and children up to 5-years across the Waitematā district.

At their launch event in June, Janet and team showcased their holistic approach to ‘growing healthy families’ with staff and stalls boasting each of the Fono’s Kahu Taurima services.

“We had family fun with a healthy theme and clinical staff for families to talk to about them. The kids had toys, scavenger hunts, games and gifts. And parents were given a passport and received stamps at each of the booths they visited which talked about different aspects of health.”

The Fono offered advice on their additional Kahu Taurima wraparound services:

• Healthy Babies, Healthy Futures – which focuses on maternal and infant nutrition and physical activity.
• Family Start – a free long-term home visit service to support pregnancy and families with infants up to two years.
• Lagi Ola – mental health support through psychiatry, psychology, counselling and coaching.
• Dental – modern, affordable, quality dental care including quality oral health and education.
• Medical – primary healthcare operating from four locations across Auckland.
• Smokefree Services – offering personalised support and planning to help stop smoking.
• Enua Ola – the holistic health and wellness programme engaging in all aspects of family life.

Janet is excited for the future of the service and about growing her workforce with the prospect of a midwife, an additional Registered Nurse, a nurse support and two social workers.

“We’re working with Plunket to offer a referral service and broadening our social worker service who go out and do family visits. I’m also working on a plan to offer food parcels and a loan system for carrier capsules to take newborns home for the first time,” says Janet.

“We want to connect pregnant Pasifika to the services they need for a healthy pregnancy.”

Mālō le tautua Janet, thank you for your service.