17 July 2008
Hill Street Health and Wellbeing Centre in Burton-upon-Trent has been officially unveiled by Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Mr James Hawley, aided by Alex Fox MBE, chairman of South Staffordshire PCT.
Pupils from the Edge Hill and Waterside Primary Schools joined the celebrations with a 'Walk Through Time' display exhibiting several landmarks achieved by the NHS to date - which marked its 60th anniversary this month.
The health and wellbeing centre is a multi-purpose hub, which provides the building blocks for a healthier and stronger local community integrating health, wellbeing, fitness and health related information into a single location.
Also accommodated within the building are speech and language therapy facilities, dentistry, smoking cessation and a Citizens' Advice Bureau, with further council funding for a dedicated children's service.
The project is situated in an area suffering social deprivation, and focuses specifically on community health needs. It was forward funded by Assura enabling the PCT to generate an income stream.
Speaking at the event, which took place shortly after the opening of the nearby Barton Community Health and Care Centre, Mr Hawley said: "These are marvellous facilities for the nearby community.
"An awful lot of hard work has gone into bringing both projects to fruition and without them we wouldn’t have the primary care and related services we have here.
"People should feel very proud of these centres which have replaced outdated buildings with modern facilities accessible to the communities surrounding them."
Alex Fox, MBE, Chairman of South Staffordshire PCT, said: "These new facilities offer a huge range and quality of services that local residents can access.
"We are pleased that so many organisations have committed their input into both of these centres."
ENDS
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