St John of God Hospital Bunbury will build and operate a $25 million comprehensive cancer centre precinct at the South West Health Campus, resulting in greater choice, affordability and access to cancer services for South West residents.
The project has received $23.5 million of Federal and State Government funding. The two-storey, 1300m-squared centre will accommodate expanded chemotherapy services, cancer consultant suites, on-site breast screening, a pharmacy, expanded cancer imaging and therapeutic services, as well as research and teaching facilities.
Cancer services are a major area of future need for the South West due to the region’s growing and ageing population.
As a popular retirement destination, the region has more residents aged over 50 than the broader state population.
Hospital chief executive Mark Grime said the development, along with the South West Radiation Oncology Services due to open in 2011, would close remaining gaps in the region’s cancer services.
“Having been heavily involved in extensive consultations with a broad range of stakeholders and developing the final blueprint for the cancer centre precinct, we are confident in our ability to provide a comprehensive and integrated cancer service and ensure the best possible treatment and outcomes for our community,” Mr Grime said. “Regional patients and families often face the real issue of travel and accommodation when receiving treatment away from their home. Our proposal includes community-based, short-term residential accommodation and regional transport services, which will be available to patients receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy.”
Better health outcomes can be expected as patients benefit from services provided closer to home, enabling them access to all-important support networks.
It will be the only Comprehensive Cancer Centre in regional Western Australia and will attract new cancer and other specialist health professionals to the South West, providing further health services and care closer to home.
St John of God Hospital Bunbury will also lead a partnership of South West health providers in two Indigenous health projects after being granted $1.3 million of Federal and State Government funding by the Council of Australian Governments.
The projects aim to close significant gaps in regional Indigenous health provision and comprise the Healthy Transition to Adulthood programme, a social and emotional wellbeing programme for Indigenous youth focusing on mental health and drug and alcohol issues and Tackling Smoking, a quit smoking programme aimed at curbing the disproportionate rates of smoking in the Indigenous population.
The programmes will be delivered by indigenous health workers or those with training specific to the Indigenous population. Both will be spearheaded by St John of God Hospital Bunbury’s South West Community Drug Team, led by Manager Nicolle Warren, who said the funding would allow her team to focus on capacity building for Indigenous health workers, Indigenous youth and the wider Indigenous community.
“Our approach of early intervention with a recovery focus means we can identify young people at risk of mental health and drug and alcohol problems and work with them and their families to change the course of their lives,” she said. “Since smoking is the single biggest killer in Indigenous society, it too needs to be tackled urgently.”
Mr Grime said the hospital’s partnership with other organisations would heighten the effectiveness of programmes addressing the main health issues for the Indigenous population. “Closing gaps in service provision is a key element of our health services strategy and we have been working to improve health outcomes for Indigenous residents of the South West for many years,” Mr Grime said.