The Daylesford community are again showing how much they value their local health service through their generous gifts that help provide quality care to patients, residents and clients who receive essential hospital services, residential aged care, community nursing and community health programs provided by Daylesford Health. Their generosity is having an impact now and it is also an investment in the future health and wellbeing of the community.
For over 160 years, the Daylesford hospital has been actively supported by the generosity of those who contribute their time and money to ensure it can best meet local health challenges. In 2021, the community rallied and raised $100,000 to develop a master plan to provide a blueprint to bring the hospital precinct into the 21st century in-line with the government funded $6.4M state-of-the-art operating theatre that is currently under construction.
Daylesford Health has recently received a $186,000 gift from a past patient who left the funds to the hospital in their will. The impact of their legacy will be long-lasting on the local community as it will assist Central Highlands Rural Health in continuing to improve services and planning upgrades for the facilities on Hospital Street, Daylesford.
Gifts in wills are incredibly valuable to health services as they are an investment in the future of healthcare for generations to come. One patient, Bev (not her real name) said, “The lovely care we’ve always received is the reason why we’ve chosen to leave a bequest. The hospital means a lot to me; it’s close to home and available in the middle of the night.” Bev knows how important it is to give to the service that cares for her and her loved ones.
Recently, staff at Daylesford Health’s dialysis unit requested a portable ultrasound device that will assist them to view newly formed fistulas due to an increase in complex care needs of their patients. Thanks to many small donations made to the health service, funds were available so that the device could be purchased quickly and utilised to improve patient care.
“The portable ultrasound will aid our expert team to work with complex cases in our dialysis unit as well as assisting with some acute and urgent care centre cases,” said Meagan Harding, Daylesford Health Director of Nursing. “It’s wonderful that the generosity of our community allows us to purchase vital equipment when it is needed. It goes to show that every donation helps, whether it’s big or small. Thank you to our donors who support us to provide Best Care to our patients.”
Keith Pyers (community member) and Neil Jordan (Daylesford Bowls Club) at Daylesford Health. (Photo supplied)
Support for Daylesford Health has also been received recently from local artist Adele Perry who is donating her artwork for auction, Daylesford Bowls Club which is giving its monthly meat raffle proceeds to its local health service and Daylesford Highland Gathering Committee which gave a generous $10,000 to aged care residents at Lumeah Lodge.
Keith Pyers, former Daylesford and Glenlyon Shire Mayor and former Daylesford Highland Gathering Committee member, said, “Recently I have enjoyed sitting with my wife who is a resident at Lumeah Lodge in one of the internal courtyards. The landscaping of this attractive area was funded by a donation that Rosalind and I made when Lumeah was being built. Our Daylesford Hospital is seeking support from the community for funds to keep the hospital up-to-date with buildings, equipment and health services.”
“We greatly appreciate these generous gifts from the Daylesford community,” said Maree Cuddihy, Central Highlands Rural Health CEO. “Every gift helps us to provide Best Care to our current patients, clients and residents and allows us to plan for the future of Daylesford Health to meet the changing needs of the community.”
Although Daylesford Health receives government funding, donations assist with building new infrastructure, program expansion and purchasing of the latest medical equipment that would otherwise not be possible. There are many different ways that you can assist health services to deliver quality care to your community such as leaving a gift in your will, donating funds, vouchers and goods or volunteering to assist with the delivery of Meals on Wheels and other projects. Community contributions to rural health services have an enormous impact on the wellbeing of a town’s population and its overall vibrancy and liveability.
This article is based on a media release from Central Highlands Rural Health.
