Health Care Cooperative In Canberra With 1200 Members

Stateline recently reported on the new West Belconnen Health Co op in Charnwood, Canberra – a not for profit community health care centre that sits somewhere between the old family GP and the new Super Clinics.

About West Belconnen Health Cooperative

The centre looks like any other medical practice BUT it’s community owned. It has two doctors who offer bulk billing and another four doctors are expected by September.The centre has:

• four consultation rooms
• space for community groups who provide other health services like relationship counselling etc.
• a treatment room where nurses look after patients and do tests
• an organisation providing mental health outreach services

The Community’s Reaction

There had been a lot of sudden closures of medical practices and the health care cooperative concept was driven by the community, who ‘decided to actually get off their backsides’ and try to do something about the lack of medical facilities.

The community worked really hard and they got it off the ground with business and government funding.

Within the first five weeks of opening there were 1200 registrations – NOT people that have been seen but people that have registered to be part of the cooperative.

There are many low income families in the area, a lot of individuals and families a bit down on their luck, and also a lot of chronic illness so there was a great need for a health care clinic, and to feel the community actually owns it is ‘really nice’.

The community is excited that there are doctors who want to be part of a community model and they welcome them to West Belconnen.

How The Cooperative Works

Based on a centre that’s been open since 1986 in Victoria, this co op is a remodelling of an idea that’s been very successful.

A family pays a $50 annual fee to be part of the cooperative and becomes a part owner. The fee provides them access to bulk billing GPs by appointment as well as a range of related services like mental health support.

The co op is guided by an elected Board.

The Richmond Fellowship

Heide Seaman, from the Richmond Fellowship, says they are very pleased to be part of the co op as it’s well known that people with mental illness often see their GP first for help and their organisation is co located with GP’s here makes for an ideal partnership.

Applying The Model Elsewhere?

The West Belconnen facility was an old school and it’s a bonus having rooms to expand into. There are other facilities in Canberra that are being underutilised so there may be more health co ops around Canberra?

Way to go..