HEALTH & WELLBEING
Community invited to get involved in enhanced
$ 700 million Rouse Hill Hospital development
The NSW Government is getting on with the job of providing Rouse Hill with a hospital for the future . Delivered in one stage , the Rouse Hill Hospital will respond to the health needs of the communities in north west Sydney for decades to come .
Health Minister Ryan Park visited the Rouse Hill Hospital site yesterday , confirming the government ’ s funding commitment of an additional $ 400 million to deliver an expanded scope for the development , bringing the total budget for the hospital to $ 700 million .
“ Our government is committed to delivering a hospital of the future at Rouse Hill that will lead the way in patientcentred care , innovation and research ,” Mr Park said .
“ Rouse Hill Hospital will be one of the first hospitals under our government to combine the best contemporary healthcare facilities with services that support our highly skilled workforce , including childcare and health worker accommodation .”
Community members who are interested in taking part in consultation around the Rouse Hill Hospital development are invited to register their interest by completing an online form here : https :// forms . office . com / r / TNhF9j8Qp8
Member for Riverstone Warren Kirby said now is a great time for further community involvement .
“ The success of the new Rouse Hill Hospital relies on the active involvement and valuable insights of our community , ensuring its design and function is welcoming , accessible and supports the wellbeing of patients , visitors and staff ,” Mr Kirby said .
A dedicated project website has also been launched to keep the community informed of progress . The www . rousehillhospital . health . nsw . gov . au website will feature the latest news and updates and an opportunity to sign up to a regular newsletter .
Labor spokesperson for Kellyville duty MLC Peter Primrose , said Western Sydney is one of NSW ’ s fastest growing regions and the new Rouse Hill Hospital is a vital piece of health infrastructure to meet the community ’ s needs .
“ A key area of focus for the Minns Labor Government is in ensuring that as the communities of greater Western Sydney grow , the necessary infrastructure and services grow with them ,” Mr Primrose said .
Mr Park said a key component of the Rouse Hill Hospital development will be attracting a skilled multidisciplinary health workforce .
“ As a first step in building this workforce , I am excited to announce the appointment of Julia Underwood as General Manager of the new Hospital ,” Mr Park said .
“ With more than 26 years ’ experience working for NSW Health , Julia ’ s most recent role was Director of Redevelopment at Campbelltown Hospital . Julia has the unique skills required to support the delivery of this state-of-the-art hospital .
“ As General Manager , Julia ’ s focus will be on establishing the executive team at Rouse Hill Hospital as well as operational , governance and built environment plans .”
The final scope for the Rouse Hill Hospital Development will be determined through the planning process . It will adopt a full hospital campus model and is expected to include :
• An Emergency and Urgent Care Department
• In-patient beds
• Day surgery unit
• Short stay medical assessment services
• Pathology , pharmacy , and medical imaging services
( L-R ) Matt Vizard , Health Infrastructure ; Warren Kirby , Member for Riverstone ; Julia Underwood , General Manager Rouse Hill Hospital ; Ryan Park , Health Minister and Graeme Loy , Chief Executive Western Sydney Local Health District .
• A health hub for virtual care and hospital in the home services
• Prehabilitation , rehabilitation , and lifestyle medicine
• Outpatient and Ambulatory Care services including paediatrics , renal , maternity services and women ’ s health
• Administration , staff support and back of house services
• Car parking facilities
The design and consultation phase for the Rouse Hill Hospital will continue throughout 2023 . Main works construction is on track to start in 2024 .
MAKE A DIFFERENCE : Support The Girls
by Lorna Gordon
Jane Holmes is a fighter . She might not seem like that when you meet her , but she will do what needs to be done for the people and causes she cares about .
Widowed at only 39 , Jane had to , in her own words , ‘ rebuild and rebrand myself ’ so that she could take care of her young children and make a new life for them all . It was a hard to put one foot in front of another , but Jane was determined to keep them financially afloat , even when it meant things would be tight and there was little money left for extras .
Fast forward until 2016 and Jane was living on the Gold Coast when a young woman approached to ask if she had any period products she could use . Sensing something wasn ’ t right , Jane took her for lunch and found out this teenager was living rough , so asked to see where she was living to make sure she was safe .
It was there she met one of the older women who had been looking out for her new found friend , and Jane was distressed to realise this older woman did not have a bra and because of this , underneath her bust was covered in sores from the skin rubbing in the heat .
After taking her to the pharmacy to get her some wound treatment , Jane took the lady to get fitted for a bra , so that she could be comfortable and let her body heal . She asked why she hadn ’ t gone to an op shop to try and find something for herself , and the answer was simple , she had no money , and they wouldn ’ t have anything to fit her bust anyway . Jane was horrified that women had to live like this and felt determined to do something about it . She began looking into it further and realised there were no larger sized bras in op shops that would be supportive enough . There and then she decided she had to help make a change , feeling that all women deserved the dignity of well fitting bras and underwear to make them feel comfortable and good in themselves , and so Support the Girls was born .
Now Jane and her crew of volunteers and staff help women in NSW and Queensland get access to properly fitted bras , underwear , toiletries and period products . She does this by partnering with service providers to gather the women together for a morning tea .
“ I ’ m an introvert , so I had to think about what might make the women I wanted to reach feel better . There were times where I would have loved someone to give me a hug and a cup of tea , so I decided to do bra gifting at a morning tea ,” Jane told me .
“ The women get to talk to someone , get fitted and be given three to five bras each , a complete toiletry pack , underwear , Modi body period underwear or period packs . It usually runs for three to four hours and the women get to have a beautiful experience .”
Jane explained these bra gifting events are open to anyone , they don ’ t get asked any questions about their personal situation . She knows that many women are struggling financially and for them to
Helping women feel confident and comfortable is the drive behind Support the Girls .
use money on a new bra or underwear is unlikely to happen .
Support the Girls is changing things for Indigenous women too . They are working with Breast Screening NSW to get more women screened for breast cancer by combining bra gifting events with screenings and have helped to take participation up to 88 per cent from only 9 per cent , which is a huge leap .
If you want to help you can donate lightly worn bras in good condition ( bigger sizes are always in demand ) or new underwear which hasn ’ t been worn . Toiletries and period products are also very
welcome . If you have time to spare you can help with volunteering too , Support the Girls are looking for people to host a drop off point for donations , help raise funds or co-ordinate events .
They also need people to do outreach work and speak to women and girls who are living on the streets , are living in remote areas or to liaise with service providers to arrange bra gifting days through them .
You can find out more at their website www . supportthegirls . com . au and all bra gifting events are detailed on their social media .
BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! ISSUE 33 // NOVEMBER 2023 23