Works are progressing at Bendigo Health's new day rehabilitation facility, as allied health and breast screening clinics become the first services to move into the new space.
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The $59.5 million project has involved re-purposing the old Bendigo Health hospital to provide modern clinical treatment, as well as the construction of a new hydrotherapy pool.
Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan said it was great to see the old facility, including the former emergency bay, re-utilised.
"Obviously this could only be done once we'd built the brand new hospital next door and with services moving into the brand new site, the fabric of the structure that was left here was still incredibly solid and strong," she said.
"It's now being repurposed and completely redeveloped for an allied health service offering.
"The entire building as we can see has been completely redeveloped to be able to have the staff to have these new spaces."
The building will bring allied services under one roof, with outpatient rehabilitation, dental, mental health, renal dialysis, diabetes education services to also operate.
Ms Allan said some allied health service staff have moved their office functions to the new building and see patients over at the hospital while more staff "progressively" move in.
Earlier this week the breast screen clinic opened, with patients now using the new space.
"We're already starting to see services being offered from this new allied health site and from the second half of the year, more and more of that activity will be transitioned here.
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Bendigo Health chief allied health officer Sally Harris said the move so far for dietetics and speech pathology had been easy.
"It's going to be a two stage move for us with allied health, but we've got the first of about a hundred staff moved in... so that's really exciting," she said.
"Then we've got more teams that will move in the second half of this year out of the old tower blocks on the Anne Caudle campus, and that will bring together more of our services."
Ms Harris said moving the old building was easier for certain services, such as the breast screening clinic which moved into a medical imaging area.
However, part of the building needs to be re-purposed completely, such as gyms for physical rehab and specialty consultation rooms.
The move is expected to be completed in the second half of the year.
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Jonathon Magrath
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
