Bleiburg opens two-million-euro primary care centre

Bleiburg opened its new primary care centre on Monday, bringing several medical and therapy services under one roof to help ease pressure on hospital outpatient clinics, ORF reported. The Diakonie-operated centre received a two-million-euro investment.

The centre is Carinthia’s second of its kind. After seven months of construction, it is due to begin seeing patients at 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

Manager Nadine Puschl told ORF Kärnten that the core team consists of a general practitioner, two registered nurses and a medical practice assistant. The planned extended team includes social workers, physiotherapists, dietitians, occupational therapists and a clinical psychologist. Positions in occupational therapy and dietetics are still vacant.

The centre is also launching a pilot project in which social worker Patrick Schönberger will support social inclusion in the region and help older people who live alone find someone to turn to.

Astrid Körner of Diakonie de La Tour said the centre is a necessary addition: Bleiburg has gone from three practising family doctors to one. Health councillor Beate Prettner of the Social Democratic Party said another primary care centre, in Spittal an der Drau, is expected to open in spring under the same operating model.