Waitaki Valley Health Trust chairman Jim Jerram said this week the trust was part way to achieving the multimillion-dollar project while working hard to raise more money.
"We’re coming along pretty well, really," Mr Jerram said.
"We need to raise another significant cornerstone funder. We have some other community funders interested in assisting us once we reach a certain margin."
The trust began work in 2019.
The plan was to provide a more solid foundation for primary health services in the area.
That need had never been more pertinent.
"It’s a substantial project trying to help the wider public in a facility that will adapt to the changing primary healthcare system ...
"We would like to have it built yesterday."
The trust was fortunate in already having a long-committed GP practice based in Kurow, Mr Jerram said.
It needed to ensure that was supported into the future.
"We’re also aware that the medical and nurse workforce is precarious.
"We see a comprehensive community health hub that caters to all ... being an essential piece of infrastructure for this sparsely populated area."
At present the existing services operated from "a totally inadequate series" of cobbled-together buildings.
"The big issue is it doesn’t encourage all [health] services operating in North Otago to come and operate under one roof.
"We also see the building being essential infrastructure for a civil emergency."
Because of that, the planned hub will be built to a higher specification to enable it to function in an Alpine Fault earthquake.
"The Waitaki District Council declined a late application in December for $1 million under the draft 2024-35 long-term plan.
However it is supporting the trust through a lease arrangement on the former Kurow railway station yard.
The planned hub will have a long-term lease arrangement of part of the railway reserve.
Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher said the council was very supportive.
