COOKHOUSE WIND FARM BOOSTS PRIMARY HEALTHCARE SERVICES

Cookhouse Wind Farm has announced the appointment of new healthcare workers, who will be assisting in the operation of the Department of Health’s mobile clinic, in a public-private partnership that aims to support and strengthen Primary Healthcare in the farming communities of Bedford and Adelaide.

As part of the Cookhouse Wind Farm Healthcare Flagship Initiative, which was launched in January 2018, five healthcare workers have been appointed. These healthcare workers will support the existing Primary Health Care Clinics in Bedford and Adelaide, with three of them being dedicated to providing healthcare services to the farming community within these towns. The new healthcare workers will operate a mobile clinic, servicing Bedford and Adelaide farming communities for the duration of their 12-month contract as part of the Pilot, to alleviate stress, travel time and costs to community members.

“We hope to reduce the need for patients to travel long distances to their nearest town, which will ultimately relieve stress on many levels, beginning with members of communities, as quality healthcare can now be accessed within their immediate surrounding,” commented Elton Gordon, Special Projects Manager within the Community Operations Department at Cookhouse Wind Farm.

The Cookhouse Wind Farm’s Healthcare Flagship Initiative is a high impact pilot initiative, which will invest R2million during 2018, in the four beneficiary towns, with the aim of supporting quality primary healthcare through resourcing of public clinics.

The flagship programme is being piloted in Raymond Mhlaba and the Bluecrane Municipal area, targeting Mzamomhle Clinic in Bedford and Nomakhwezi Makenyana Clinic in Adelaide, where support has been provided to address the shortage in medical equipment and the resulting impact on nursing staff’s ability to render quality healthcare to patients. Furthermore the Healthcare Flagship Initiative will be procuring equipment for Bhongweni Clinic in Cookhouse, Aeroville Clinic in Aeroville, Beatrice Ngwentle Clinic, Vera Barford and Union Clinic in Somerset East.

More information on all Socio Economic Development programmes that are benefiting the communities of Cookhouse, Somerset East, Bedford and Adelaide can be found here