By Alesha Capone
The $93 million expansion of the Werribee Mercy Hospital was officially opened last week.
Representatives from the hospital and Mercy Health were joined by the Health Minister Jill Hennessy, Werribee MP Tim Pallas, Lalor MP Joanne Ryan and Wyndham mayor Peter Maynard for the ceremony.
Ms Hennessy said the hospital expansion would deliver “world-class clinical care” to patients.
“This is a very special moment for Mercy Hospital and Melbourne’s west,” she said.
The state government contributed $85 million to the hospital expansion which includes four additional levels on top of the existing Catherine McAuley Centre.
As part of the expansion, the hospital has six new operating theatres, 56 additional inpatient beds, eight new critical care beds and a central sterilising department.
The expansion has taken the number of beds at the hospital to 298.
Mercy Health Group chief executive, Adjunct Professor Stephen Cornelissen, said the hospital also has a new Intensive Care Unit.
“The expansion of Werribee’s only public hospital delivers not only additional physical capacity but also enhanced capability to care for more acutely unwell patients,” he said.
“Having an Intensive Care Unit within the hospital will enable us to grow our services over time which is an exciting prospect for Mercy Health and the rapidly growing Wyndham community.”
Mr Cornelissen said Mercy Health contributed $6 million to the project.
The Mercy Health Foundation, along with the Werribee Hospital Foundation, ran a community fundraising campaign to raise $2 million to help fit out and equip the new ICU. The appeal surpassed its $2 million goal by more than $4000.
Many Wyndham groups and businesses contributed the appeal, along with the Freemasons Foundation Victoria and the Gandel Foundation.
See www.mercyhealthfoundation.org.au to make a donation.
