Sixty-seven of 91 positions from the organisation were saved after a shake-up of the sector.

The federal government in April formally announced that Medicare Locals would no longer exist from June 30, 2015.

At the time, a Southern NSW Medicare Local spokeswoman feared significant job losses for the service’s 91 staff, about 50 of whom were Eurobodalla based.

The new health service provider, Grand Pacific Health, has taken on 60 of the southern region’s former Medicare Local staff, who will continue to run programs including Aboriginal health, mental health and health promotion.

A further seven positions were moved to Coordinare, the region’s new primary health network, which sub-contracted Grand Pacific Health to provide on–the-ground services.

Of those seven, it is understood five will be based at Coordinare’s new Moruya office, to be established in the CBD.

Those utilising former Medicare Local services will continue to see the same people in the place they always attended.

Coordinare CEO Dianne Kitcher said the federal government was clear it wanted  continuity of services for the first 12 months after Medicare Locals dissolved.

“(The government is) giving the money to the primary health networks, but we will directly subcontract that back to Grand Pacific Health, to make sure the community has access to the services, while we use the next year to look at our needs, talk to all of the stakeholders across the region and map how we think we need to work differently,” she said.

“The key difference about primary health networks is that they’re not to be direct service providers.

“Our aim is to work with local service providers, the community, NGOs and a range of people across the region, consumers included, to talk to them about what they think the issues are and where there are high needs.

“We will work with them to decide what sorts of services, programs and interventions should be on the ground.”

Grand Pacific Health was the former operator of the Illawarra-Shoalhaven Medicare Local, but had funding to continue running many of its programs.

CEO Ron de Jongh said it was fantastic news the organisation would expand to encompass programs in the southern region.

“It looked, at one stage, uncertain whether many of the services that had been provided would actually be continued to be provided - and they are now,” he said.

“Not only have we secured very good staff from the area, who will deliver the services, we’ve also secured funding for at least another 12 months.

“We’ll see what happens after that.

“It’s extremely good news for people with health issues.

“They will continue to receive services that they did before.”

Mr de Jongh said the only difference patients might notice was a change of logo.

“The person they will be seeing is the same person and the place they used to go to will be the same place they need to go,” he said.

“Although there’s a change of organisations that are running it, it needs to be seamless to the person receiving these services.”