EDENHOPE and District Memorial Hospital was the biggest winner in the first round of the new state government regional health grants.
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Edenhope hospital chief executive Kevin Mills said a planned $8 million aged care upgrade had reached its funding goal thanks to a $6.3m grant.
“It’s going to be a rebuild of the current aged care facility. That will be built onto the back of the current hostel, which is on the lake.
“It will go from having an outdated four beds to a ward with no bathrooms in the rooms, to 18 single rooms with en suites.”
Mr Mills said the new unit would improve dignity for clients and he anticipated works would be completed in about 18 months.
High care and low care units will be located in the same building.
Mr Mills said there was a benefit to having both in the same place.
“It means that residents don’t have to transfer as their care needs increase,” he said.
“Also we will be able to provide significantly better care to all residents with a better mix of skill sets in staffing.”
Mr Mills said the a previous grant and the community had helped fund the remainder of the $8m budget.
“We previously received $680,000 from the state government and the remainder will come from the wonderful contribution from the bequest we received from Peter Carracher,” he said.
Edenhope hospital will now proceed to the project’s planning phase.
Mr Mills said it was too early to give a specific start date for the construction phase.
Wimmera Health Care Group’s Wimmera Base Hospital and Dimboola Campus and West Wimmera Health Service were also included in the first round grants, with more than $8.2 million distributed to healthcare in the Wimmera.
Wimmera Health Care Group received $1.2 million for patient record systems, fire safety and intensive care monitoring at Horsham and Dimboola.
The health care group’s grants included $634,245 to upgrade medical records, and information technology at Horsham and Dimboola, and $500,000 for fire sprinklers and $90,741 to replace the intensive care unit patient monitoring system at the Horsham campus.
West Wimmera Health Service’s Nhill campus received $352,560 for a new air conditioning unit, while Nhill, Natimuk, Rainbow and Jeparit shared in $396,003 for fire safety upgrades.
Member for Western Victoria, Jaala Pulford said Victorians deserved the best health care facilities, no matter where they live.
“Our dedicated doctors and nurses at Wimmera Health Care Group do a remarkable job and we are supporting them with better facilities and equipment,” Ms Pulford said.
“Our investment will mean better and safer care for patients and modern facilities for staff in Edenhope.”
Ms Pulford said Nhill campus’s air conditioning system was about 40 years old.