After being delayed for more than decade, the new $15 million Raymond Terrace GP Super clinic is set to open shortly.
The long awaited GP Super Clinic and HealthOne clinic is expected to address the lack of medical services in Raymond Terrace.
The state and federally funded project was first mooted in 2003 and the work was stalled again early last year when the construction contractors went into administration.
Doctor Damien Welbourne who will help to run the centre says apart from the GP clinic, there will be a range of other services currently not provided in Raymond Terrace.
“A public dental service provided by Hunter New England Health, dialysis service and a whole bunch of other services coming into the building like the child and family services, mental health team and some visiting specialists.”
With construction and fit-out completed, the building will open on June 30.
Doctor Welbourne says residents have been disadvantaged by a lack of medical services in Raymond Terrace for too long.
“Some of the services that are in the building will be additional services that don’t currently come to Raymond Terrace.
“Some of the hospital services in particular where people currently have to drive to Newcastle to go and see an outpatient clinic will be provided from within the building.
“There’s no dialysis or public dental in Raymond Terrace at all and those are very big elements of this project.
“Then there’s more of the same with the existing services for the town as well.”
Port Stephens MP Craig Baumann says the clinic doubled in size when the Federal Government came on board with funding.
“The Federal Government with the help of Bob Baldwin decided to co-locate a GP super clinic with the HealthOne clinic so the plans had to be re-done but the good news is we’ve got double the facility.
“It’s about to open, all of those sort of things in a clinic right in the middle of Raymond Terrace.”