Winton Maternity Centre service manager Debbie McDougall received a Southland District Council and Ōreti Community Board community award last month.
The award was presented by Southland District Mayor Rob Scott.
Ms McDougall said it was important rural Southlanders had access to maternity care and she would work to keep the service going while she was manager.
“Closure has been threatened about four times over the years I’ve been there and we’ve managed to stay open while other units have closed around us.”
“I’m keeping the only standalone, not attached to a hospital, primary maternity unit viable and open.”
She was grateful for the support of the centre’s staff.
The centre services an area from Kingston to Stewart Island Rakiura and all the way to Fiordland.
Ms McDougall who attended Central Southland College, trained as a nurse at the Southland Polytechnic.
She had never considered any other career.
“Being a nurse with that caring, supportive sort of nature, it just feels like the right thing to do, to help people and see them on their journey.”
After her son was born at the centre in 1993 she was asked if she would like to work there.
Working with mothers and newborns was very rewarding, Ms McDougall said.
“It’s just really nice to empower them [the mothers] to be able to go home and feel that they could manage this new precious little person in their lives.”
After working as a nurse for 10 years she was asked to be the manager in 2004.
Receiving the community award was a surprise.
“I was incredibly honoured to receive the award, I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
Former centre midwives Pat Henderson and Anne Clark, who advocated strongly to keep the maternity centre open in Winton about 30 years ago, before Ms McDougall took over, were special guests at the ceremony.
Mr Scott said Ms McDougall’s work had created an enduring legacy of high-quality care in rural Southland.
“She has been a backbone of the southern maternity service for over three decades and probably thousands of families owe her a massive vote of thanks,” he said.
“Her contribution has been amazing.”
Her award citation said she works with a limited Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora budget which is about a third of what other service providers in the area have.
While Ms McDougall is employed as the centre manager, she contributes many more hours voluntarily.
She is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Aside from her commitment to maternity, Ms McDougall oversees the community nurse service, running the foodbank, supporting those in need in the community and the elderly day held at the maternity centre two days a week.
She also works six hours a week at the Winton Medical Centre.
