As business people, Pam Lamaro and Oriano Salvalaggio are used to taking on big projects.
But their latest challenge – to raise $10 million for the new St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee – may just be their biggest one yet.
They are among a group of four committee members for the hospital’s Health of the West campaign, whose fundraising efforts will equip St Vincent’s Private Werribee with the latest medical technology through signature gifts and naming rights.
Construction on the Werribee hospital will begin later this year.
Strong connections
Both Ms Lamaro and Mr Salvalaggio have a strong connection to the parent St Vincent’s Private Hospital.
For Mr Salvalaggio, who owns a number of businesses across Wyndham, it’s the place where his two children were born, a number of procedures were performed on family and, most recently, where his father was treated for brain cancer.
The Point Cook resident says committee members will target their extensive business networks to raise the money.
“The Mercy did it really well when they established the hospital there with certain wings being named after large contributors, and the same will apply here,” Mr Salvalaggio said.
“It’s all about trying to generate that money for new equipment – equipment that’s not available in the west.”
Ms Lamaro, who gave birth to some of her children at St Vincent’s, said it was “important to give back to the community you live in”.
She has run the Commercial Hotel in Werribee, the Werribee Plaza Tavern and, most recently, Lamaro’s in South Melbourne.
“This isn’t taking away from Werribee Mercy Hospital at all, it’s giving people a choice … rather than going into the city,” she said.
The multimillion-dollar, 112-bed hospital is expected to open in mid-2017 and will be fitted out with six operating theatres, four delivery suites, five cots in its special-care nursery, a cardiac catheter laboratory, day procedure unit, day oncology, rehabilitation facilities, consulting suites, and radiology and pathology departments.
To donate, email sara@okp.com.au or carli.lidonnici@svha.org.au
