Salvaging hospital

Angela McSweeney is urging the community to come along to the Save Healesville Hospital Action Group (SHHAG) fund-raiser and help the campaign. 121220 Picture: JESSE GRAHAM

By JESSE GRAHAM

THE Healesville Hospital campaign is nearing its next stage, and community members are being urged to help give the group a leg-up with a fund-raiser later this month.
The fund-raising event will be held at White Rabbit Brewery on Wednesday 25 June, where 100 people will be able to wine (or, in this case, beer) and dine to help the Save Healesville Hospital Action Group (SHHAG).
Profits raised from the evening’s pizza sales, donations and a raffle will go towards an independent business case study for the Healesville Hospital.
The case study will be run over a 20-30 day period, and will assess whether the hospital would be better off continuing under Eastern Health or as an independent rural hospital.
SHHAG member and White Rabbit employee Angela McSweeney said the group was trying to raise as much money as possible before the end of the month.
“We need to get the first stage started before the end of June,” she said.
“We have a little bit of money in the bank, but we want to raise the rest.”
Ms McSweeney said there had been strong community support, particularly through the donation of items to be raffled off.
First prize in the raffle is a Global Ballooning flight, valued at $600, second prize is a night’s stay at Balgownie Estate in Yarra Glen, third prize is a $200 travel voucher from Yarra Valley travel, while fourth prize is a wine pack and fifth prize is a $100 voucher for Innocent Bystander in Healesville.
Ms McSweeney said the group was still in contact with local businesses in regards raffle prizes, so they might be subject to change.
She said tickets for the raffle were $2, and winners would be drawn at the fund-raising event and then contacted.
Entry to the fund-raiser at White Rabbit Brewery is $20 per person, and spaces are limited to 100.
For more information, call 5962 6516.