Werribee Mercy Hospital’s emergency department will soon be brighter and more efficient with a refurbishment of the resuscitation unit now under way.
The upgrade is being funded by a $99,000 grant from the Westgate branch of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation.
The refurbishment includes two new resuscitation machines and the painting of colourful murals in the paediatric resuscitation bay.
The refurbished resuscitation unit will be named in honour of a police officer who died while on duty.
The officer’s identity has not yet been revealed.
Emergency department nurse unit manager Lynn O’Neill said the upgrades were needed to meet growing demand.
“As the local population grows, so too does the number of emergency department presentations requiring resuscitation or breathing support,” she said.
“A revamped and improved resuscitation unit will ensure the best delivery of urgent medical treatment to the Wyndham community.
“We’re extremely grateful for the support of the Blue Ribbon Foundation in helping us to improve the care and resources we can offer to people in and around Wyndham,” Ms O’Neill said.
She said 35,000 people attended the emergency department last year, and that figure was expected to grow in 2016.
Blue Ribbon Foundation chief executive Neil Soullier said the foundation knew that it was not always the biggest projects that made a difference and that the smaller ones also had an impact in local communities.
The project is already under way and is expected to be completed by August.
The foundation supports community projects across the state in honour of Victoria Police who were killed on the job.
