AWH Welcomes Single Site Hospital Funding
Thursday, 27 October 2022 / Albury Wodonga Health
Albury Wodonga Health has welcomed a combined Victorian and NSW State Government funding commitment of $558m to the development of a single site hospital on the Albury campus, consolidating key acute services. The funding is inclusive of a previous $108m invested by NSW and Commonwealth Governments.
The funding will pave the way for a multi-storey, world-class hospital on the Border, including a new clinical services building. The new facility will house a state-of-the-art intensive care unit, maternity services, paediatrics, neonatal care and additional operating theatres. Outpatient and specialist treatment spaces will be expanded, along with the construction of a multi-level carpark.
AWH Board Chair Matt Burke OAM welcomed the funding, saying it was the culmination of years of hard work from staff, clinicians, management, the AWH Board and the wider community.
"Our Clinical Services Plan has given us the blueprint for the future of healthcare in Albury Wodonga, and our Master Plan outlined the infrastructure needed to deliver services to the community. Today we begin realising our vision for world-class healthcare here on the Border," he said.
"The need for a new hospital for the region was beyond doubt, and it was beyond politics. This is a historic day for our community and our region, with two Governments on both sides of the Border coming together to make a significant investment in the healthcare of our community, regardless of the outcomes of their respective upcoming elections.
"The current hospital sites in Wodonga and Albury are already working beyond capacity. As our population grows and ages, we must significantly increase and expand our services to provide safe, high-quality care for patients, in state-of-the-art, co-located healthcare facilities. But the work has to start now.
"The AWH vision is to provide world-class care for our community, as close to home as possible. With this funding announcement, we take a significant step towards that vision. It's a game changer."
CEO Bill Appleby said this significant first tranche of funding for the building of our new hospital means AWH can confidently plan for and deliver cutting edge healthcare across a range of clinical services while supporting patient safety.
"It’s imperative that we have a single site hospital and a healthcare centre of excellence here on the Border. I’m thrilled for our communities, who will be the beneficiaries of greater complexity in service, increased capacity and strengthened capability. It also means we will have enhanced access to safer care.
"I'm also really pleased for our staff who have been stretched beyond capacity for a number of years. We'll be able to deliver better services and facilities for them, while also attracting and retaining the best and brightest in the field to our region.
"The benefit of redeveloping the Albury Hospital site is that it won’t alienate our existing services and capital projects, including the Cancer Centre, Emergency Department Hilltop and the University of New South Wales campus. We will work with our clinicians, New South Wales health infrastructure, and the Victorian Health Building Authority now that we have this very significant commitment.
"With commitments from Government on both sides of the Border, we can move ahead with confidence that we can deliver the health care our community needs and deserves."