(1) April 2000, the Auckland District Health Board, recognised young people as a unique patient group through the adoption of their policy, "Principles of Adolescent Care".
(2) September 2001, the Ministry of Health are due to release their draft document for the Youth Health Strategy. The final document is to be tabled in Parliament in February 2002.
(3) The Elizabeth Ewing Fund in Youth Health - described by Auckland District Health Board as being a long term solution to raising the standard of healthcare for our young people received donations from Takapuna North Rotary Club and the East Coast Bays Rotary Club. A challenge to all other New Zealand Rotary Clubs is to be made.
(4) The Starship Hospital opened their Adolescent Mental Health Unit early in 2001 to better handle the high number of young patients.
(5) In 1998 the Child Cancer Foundation, in conjunction with the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) celebrated the inaugural year for their Graduate Nursing Programme in Paediatric Palliative Care, to train nursing staff in caring for seriously ill young children.
(6) The University of Auckland in 2000 celebrated their inaugural year for their course, the Post Graduate Diploma in Health Sciences (Child and Adolescent Mental Health) - (PGDHS (ChildAdolescentMentH)). This is aimed at catering to the younger child up to and including the younger adolescent.
While both these new courses above are a much overdue addition to the support, care and understanding of psychosocial needs of the younger patient group, the needs of the adolescent/young adult patient group are still being largely ignored.
(7) The Downtown Auckland Rotary Club are working on raising $2million to help improve the standard of care for young people. The funds raised will be divided between:
(a) The University of Auckland School of Medicine Foundation - to establish an Academic Teaching and Research Centre, and
(b) The Starship Foundation - to assist with developing more appropriate inpatient facilities.
The University of Auckland School of Medicine Foundation will then "establish a professional research position in child and adolescent mental health at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science. The new professor will head a teaching and research unit specifically focused on understanding the problems faced by young people. In addition, it will develop appropriate training programs so that tomorrow’s doctors will have the skills required to recognise and treat young people in distress."
At the present time, specialist training in the care of the adolescent/young adult patient group is available off-shore only. However, with the introduction of the above courses here in New Zealand, the establishment of an Adolescent Mental Health Unit and academic teaching and research centre as mentioned, comes the hope that positive progress in meeting the needs of other youth should not be too far away.
Parents and families of children, and young people with cancer can access information from the Child Cancer Foundation - through the following web site: www.childcancer.org.nz
EMAIL ME AT: jane.ewing@uts.edu.au
or jane.ewing@stat.auckland.ac.nz
