The Daylesford Hospital Upgrade Appeal Committee has announced that they have reached their initial target of  $100,000 in community contributions. The target was reached 10 weeks ahead of schedule. These donations will fund the development of a master plan for the proposed upgrade to the facilities at Daylesford Health.  This planning phase is expected to be completed in approximately 4 months and will outline a roadmap for future developments.

Central Highlands Rural Health CEO, said Maree Cuddihy said, “There are many spaces that are not fit for purpose or don’t meet the expected standard for service provision. Thanks to groundswell of support from the community, the master plan will provide the vision for future redevelopment and ensure that we are investing in services aligned with our services planning,”

The Daylesford Hospital master plan will include a physical assessment of the condition of the existing buildings and engineering infrastructure, a review of current utilization, followed by assessment and recommendations of the functional suitability and adaptability against recommendations in the clinical services plan for future service provision. The master plan is set for completion by January next year.

The Daylesford Hospital Upgrade Appeal Committee had hoped to achieve this amount by Christmas and are overwhelmed with the support, passion and generosity of the Daylesford community.  Chair of the Daylesford Hospital Upgrade Appeal Committee, Cr Lesley Hewitt said, “A huge thanks to all the generous people who donated to reach this target of $100,000 in just over 8 weeks.  The demonstration of such strong support shows how important the hospital is to Daylesford residents.”

Members of the committee will meet with Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, in the near future to discuss the need for funding and support for the upgrade.

In late-breaking news, the Victorian government just has announced funding of $4.5M to upgrade Daylesford Hospital surgical theatres and sterilisation equipment from the Victorian Rural Health Fund. This indicates support form the state government to retain the hospital in the longer term.

The community is encouraged to continue their strong support for the re-development of this essential service.

 

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