St. Lukes Health Hobart: Former Jetty Surf Liverpool St building opens as health and wellbeing hub
A $2m redevelopment of a former surfwear shop into a health and wellbeing hub is finally open to members and the wider community. Here are the services, both free and paid, that will be offered.
Tasmania
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More than six years after a surf retailer vacated its prime Hobart CBD corner site, not-for-profit health insurer St. Lukes Health has finally unveiled its transformation of the commercial property into a health and wellbeing hub.
Jetty Surf vacated its premises at the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth streets in approximately January 2017, with the leasehold title advertised for several years until St. Lukes signed a contract.
Now, more than six-and-a-half years after Jetty Surf’s departure, St. Lukes on Monday threw open the doors to its new $2m community health and wellbeing hub.
The hub, open to both members and the wider community, will feature a range of sessions, events and activities, both paid and complimentary.
Weekly events will include meditation sessions and a St. Lukes Health running club, while one-off events to have already been booked at the hub in September include a baby and child first aid session, a four-part guide to surviving pelvic pain, a breathwork session, and a psychosocial hazards presentation by Worksafe Tasmania.
The hub will also feature a customer care centre, where current and future St. Lukes members can discuss their health insurance needs face-to-face, and a complimentary Health Navigation service, which will provide advice to people navigating the health system and connect them with other services.
Allied health professionals and other providers confirmed thus far for the hub include personal trainer Ella Crocombe – aka Coach Ella – Udara Movement Studio, and Kieser Australia Physiotherapy.
Ms Crocombe said that her work at the hub will be grounded in her own lived experiences.
“I myself have several chronic illnesses, so I decided to learn how to specialise in rehab and help other people who suffer from the same thing,” Ms Crocombe said.
“Beginning in Women’s Health Week, I’m going to be pairing up with St. Lukes Health to provide free sessions to other people like me who suffer from chronic pain, in particular pelvic pain.”
Udara Movement Studio co-owner Kate Cashman said the benefits of exercise and stress reduction flowed through all aspects of clients’ lives.
“We will be teaching people, in a non-intimidating way, to try and move in a way that will support them in their day-to-day work, while also bringing a sense of calmness and wellness to their everyday lives,” Ms Cashman said.
St. Lukes Health Southern Manager Kate Denmen said that other organisations confirmed to run classes at the hub in the future include Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation, Cancer Council Tasmania and Dress for Success.
“St. Lukes Health Hobart will be a wonderful place for our members and the Tasmanian community to visit, a place to seek help in understanding and navigating the healthcare system – for anyone who wants to be aware, explore, be inspired, and take charge of their health and wellbeing,” Ms Denmen said.
The grand opening of the Hobart health hub continues a flurry of activity for the insurer, with work on its $27m, seven-storey timber head office in Launceston entering its final phase, and an announcement St. Lukes Health will open a string of dental practices across the state.
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