- Published:
- Monday 15 January 2018
People in Geelong’s northern suburbs will soon have access to additional health services through the $33 million Barwon Health North project, which is starting to take shape, with extra child and family support confirmed today as part of the project.
Barwon Health North will also include an urgent care centre, medical imaging, pathology, pharmacy, consulting suites and renal dialysis services to give patients in Geelong more access to services, closer to home.
While we’re on the way to developing an important range of new services, the new state-of-the-art centre will still be flexible enough to accommodate a range of other health services to meet the changing service requirements of the Corio and Norlane communities for years to come.
Barwon Health will ensure that services offered both via Barwon Health North and University Hospital Geelong are co-ordinated, ensuring that the health and emergency needs of the community are best addressed, safely.
The more severe emergency patients – those with life-threatening injuries and illnesses requiring immediate attention and specialist care – will receive care at University Hospital Geelong’s emergency department, while less severe but still urgent cases will be able to seek treatment at Barwon Health North’s new urgent care centre.
Urgent care services which will be delivered through the new centre operate beyond normal business hours and on weekends, and do not require an appointment.
It is important to have access to services that can treat illness and injuries such as sprains, cuts, and minor infections on the spot, especially after hours and on weekends when it is often harder to see a GP.
The Corio Community Health Centre, which is also run by Barwon Health will continue to operate and complement the range of services available at Barwon Health North.
Work is being done to brief local residents about the projects and its services and that work will continue over the next 18 months as construction progresses.
Barwon Health North is scheduled to be treating patients by mid-2019.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“We promised the people of Geelong access to urgent care services closer to home and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.”
“Extended hours at the urgent care centre will mean people have access to medical care for a range of injuries and illnesses, especially at times when it can be hard to find a GP, or when you just can’t wait for an appointment.”
Quote attributable to Member for Lara John Eren
“While the Liberals broke an election promise for a new public hospital in Geelong and failed to do any proper planning for Barwon Health North – we’re getting on with delivering the safe health services local residents need.”