Sign In / Register
Anyone struggling to find the money to pay for medical aids, procedures or other health costs is being reminded that they may be able to get financial help from a Warkworth-based trust.
The Rodney Health Charitable Trust (RHCT) currently has “significant funds” available to help support people unable to pay for a range of health needs such as hearing aids and tests, dentures, braces, cataract operations and so on.
It has long supported health-related services and providers, including Northern Rescue Helicopters, Ronald McDonald House, Hato Hone St John and Coastguard, plus many local charities and community organisations.
RHCT has also recently funded visits by a child psychologist to two local primary schools in response to growing concerns about the mental health needs of some students.
However, trust chair Sara Lewis said they also recognised that many individuals and families were struggling with the cost of living at the moment and wanted to help them as well.
“The trust is wanting to raise awareness that we have charitable funds available to help support people unable to pay for medical procedures, or other related health costs,” she said.
“Individuals are welcome to make applications to the trust for any directly health-related need.”
To be eligible, applicants simply need to demonstrate that they are clearly unable to fund the expense themselves.
The health trust was established in 1977 with four employees and grew to more than 1000 by the time its two arms – Northlink Health and Rodney Health Trust – were sold to Geneva Healthcare in 2014.
Lewis said the proceeds of that sale had since been invested in rental property and an investment portfolio that now funded the health trust, which was maintained with the aim of meeting the health needs of people who required health treatment not funded by the public system.
Trustees come from across the Warkworth and Mahurangi community – as well as Lewis in the chair, current board members are trust founder Wendy Hawkings, Dr John Gray, Trudy Caldwell, Guy Scholfield, Dr Warwick Palmer, Chris Murphy, Hamish Buick and Terence Banks.
Applications to benefit from trust funding should be made in writing to Wendy Hawkings, The Oaks, 9 Queen Street, Warkworth.
