Situated between Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital and the Cancer Care Centre, the Grand Pacific Health (GPH) Centre will be a valuable addition to the health precinct.

The state-of-the-art facility houses 10 general consulting rooms for GPs and specialists; a wellness centre with a gym and suites for dietitians and exercise physiologists as well as conference and teaching areas.

GPH general manager corporate services, Ron de Jongh, said the centre, which will open its doors to patients on Monday, would offer high-quality primary care services which would evolve to suit community needs.

"The aim is to provide local services based on local needs," he said.

"It will complement the services that already exist - there's no intention to compete with the well-defined local services.

"Instead we will work with the community, with local health professionals, with the hospital and patients to let them define what they need from this facility."

Designed to blend in perfectly with its surroundings, the centre's architecture pays homage to the late Australian artist Arthur Boyd, who spent his latter years at Bundanon on the Shoalhaven River.

"The natural surrounds and Arthur Boyd's painting of the Shoalhaven River were a great inspiration to the design of the building," Mr de Jongh said.

"The solid rock formation of the clifftops overlooking the river and the surrounding gumtrees are mirrored in the facade of the building, as well as the interior which features a lot of stone and timber."

The centre has been made possible thanks to funding from the federal government's GP Super Clinics Program, which also funded the Shell Cove Family Health super clinic run by GPH.

Mr de Jongh said the Nowra clinic will officially open in June, allowing time for GPs and specialists and other health professionals to settle in.

"We are already having conversations with a neurologist and a psychiatrist about them visiting the clinic to see patients on a regular basis," he said.

"Residents often have to travel a long way to see specialists so if a facility like this can help attract these specialists then that's going to be very useful."

Mr de Jongh said by investing in primary health care, governments would help reduce chronic disease in the community, while saving on future health costs.

"Most hospitalisations are preventable if people get in touch with primary healthcare providers sooner, or more regularly, or where it's more easily accessible," he said.

"With the prevalence of chronic disease going up as the population ages and because of lifestyle choices, we need to invest more in primary care to reduce hospitalisations.

"It's infinitely cheaper to look after people in a primary care setting rather than an acute setting like a hospital."

GPH is working with the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District to provide better health pathways between settings. The clinic is also working with the University of Wollongong to provide training for medical students.

lwachsmuth@fairfaxmedia.com.au