23 Mar 2018 Wangaratta Chronicle, Wangaratta VIC (General News) by Steve Kelly Premier to announce final $6.9m needed for Wangaratta public hospitals $22m redevelopment to help meet growing demand VICTORIAN Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured) will today announce the final $6.9 million needed for a $22 million redevelopment of Wangarattas public hospital. The Premiers department confirmed the windfall for Northeast Health Wangaratta (NHW), which adds to the $15.2 million round one funding announced last April. Plans for the stage one redevelopment are well and truly under way but todays announcement now allows NHW to carry out building works as one project. The project will see a net increase in 27 inpatient beds along with an additional eight treatment spaces in the Emergency Department. The funds also pave the way for four extra maternity beds, refurbished birthing and obstetrics area, an extra six medical beds and two palliative care beds. It will ensure more women will be able to give birth closer to home and loved ones, while patients needing emergency care can get the treatment they need sooner. Funding was made possible from the Labor Governments $200 million Regional Health Infrastructure Fund, the largest of its kind in Victorian history. Wangaratta-bred Premier Andrews will visit the hospital this morning, accompanied by Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) and local community members to announce the $6.9 million. Margaret Bennett, NHW chief executive officer, said now the project can be undertaken as one integrated body of work, it will lead to efficiencies in design and management. Both stages are expected to create around 60 construction jobs and be completed by late-2020. This is a very exciting time for NHW and the community we serve, Ms Bennett said. Continued page 2 Final $6.9m secured from state for Wangaratta public hospitals $22m redevelopment From page 1 This redevelopment is critical to enable NHW to continue to meet the significant increase in patient care demand, related to NHWs role as the specialist referral health service for a population of 90,000 people across North East Victoria. Consultant contractors for the major build recently appointed include project managers, Jacobs and Architects HSPC Health Architects. A Master Site Planning process is well under-way, with the detailed design for the complex redevelopment about to start. Following a tendering process, the building contractor will be appointed in the second quarter of 2018/19 with construction to begin in the third quarter and be ongoing for at least 18 months. NHW board of management director, and chair of the Redevelopment Project Control Group, Jonathon Green, said he was looking forward to giving the community regular updates once the building is formally under-way. We are very delighted by Premier Andrews announcement, and his recognition of NHWs needs to best serve the North East Victorian community. Ms Symes said Wangarattas public hospital remains so important to the region. Locals told us that it was a better community outcome to complete stages one and two (of the redevelopment) at the same time we have listened and we have delivered, she said. Families all across North East Victoria are going to benefit from the extra maternity beds and modern facilities they need as more babies are delivered locally than ever before. This is the Labor Government getting it done.Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.