Medical care a la mode
A HIGH-CLASS restoration of a historic building in Geelong’s medical precinct is proving good for business as well as a satisfying emotional experience for its owners.
The Medical Health Group leases fully serviced consulting suites to a variety of allied health professionals across from the Geelong hospital on the corner of Ryrie and Bellerine streets.
Owners Tony and Kirsten Costa are preparing for the next stage of an extensive renovation of the building which will see The Medical Health Group grow from 10 to 16 suites.
The initial $300,000 renovation involving the front reception area, bathroom and five consulting rooms was completed in November with the second stage comprising a further five suites at the rear of the building and five or six upstairs is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
“This really makes good business sense, but from an emotional perspective it is awesome seeing what this building is turning into,” Mr Costa said.
The Melbourne couple who have other property holdings in Geelong initially purchased the building in late 2016 as a passive investment.
But that strategy changed when they saw the potential of developing a hub of allied health modalities under the one roof.
“Once we got in and had a look at the potential of the business and the passion of a couple of the tenants and what they were asking for, we just thought it was a great opportunity for a business,” Mr Costa said.
Ms Costa now manages the Medical Health Group, which has 12 tenants, some full-time and some sessional, who have the opportunity to refer clients to each other, creating a one-stop solution for health and wellbeing needs.
Modalities based there include myotherapy, podiatry, nutritional medicine, naturopathy and cosmetic medicine.
“People are always looking for an alternate therapy, something different that works alongside their GP or specialist,” Ms Costa said.
“There so much growth in natural medicine. Anything to do with your mind, body and soul
“That’s what we have here and that what we are trying to attract here.”
Ms Costa said the building had always been home to health services but it had become badly run-down.
“The floors were falling away, there were cracks in the building that you could put your hand through,” she said.
“It was very run-down, very sad to see for a beautiful building.”
The quality renovation by La Greca Design and Construction and interior design by Premium Interior Styling created the right atmosphere for alternative medicine, she said.
“We want to build a stateof-the art, luxury boutique environment that people can come to and get an experience from.”