Millions for services
Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital is set for a $6.3-million upgrade as part of a State Government regional healthfunding program.
The funding announcement is one of several involving Wimmera health services.
The government has also announced $1.2-million for an upgrade project for Wimmera Health Care Group and $748,000 for projects at West Wimmera Health Service.
Regional Development Minister and Labor Member for Western Victoria Jaala Pulford said the Edenhope hospital funding meant more district patients would get the high-quality care they needed sooner, thanks to redeveloped agedcare facilities.
“We are investing $6.3-million to co-locate high-care and low-care facilities which are currently at opposite ends of the hospital block,” she said.
“The current logistics and layout present significant and numerous inadequacies and the funding will lead to better use of resources and better care for residents using the facility.”
The money comes from the first round of the government’s $200-million Regional Health Infrastructure Fund.
“The Labor government is very mindful that Victorians deserve the best health-care facilities, no matter where they live, and this investment will mean better and safer care for patients and modern facilities for staff in Edenhope,” Ms Pulford said.
“Our dedicated doctors and nurses at Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital do a remarkable job and we are supporting them with modern facilities.”
Member for Lowan and former Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital chief executive Emma Kealy congratulated the hospital and district community on the funding.
“After years of lobbying the Edenhope community will finally get a much-needed refurbishment of their aged-care facility,” she said.
“I’ve worked with the Edenhope community for such a long time to secure this funding.
“This is a fantastic result for the Edenhope community, and I congratulate them for their ongoing support and keeping up the fight to get our fair share of funding.
“We have fantastic local clinical staff members who deserve to be provided with quality facilities to support them in delivering the best possible standard of care to our people.”
The government has also committed $1,224,986 for projects at Wimmera Health Care Group’s Horsham and Dimboola campuses.
The government will provide $634,245 to upgrade medical records, telephone and ICT infrastructure at Horsham and Dimboola campuses, $500,000 for the installation of fire sprinklers in the Horsham campus’s acute building and $90,741 to replace an intensive-care patient-monitoring system, also at the Horsham campus.
The government’s funding commitment for West Wimmera Health Service is for air-conditioning and fire-safety upgrades
Ms Pulford said the State Government was investing $352,560 to replace an air-conditioning at the health group’s Nhill campus and $396,003 to upgrade fire-detection systems at Nhill, Natimuk, Rainbow and Jeparit campuses.