By JESSE GRAHAM
THE Save Healesville Hospital Action Group (SHHAG) has been named the Mail’s 2013 Issue of the Year for its hard work in campaigning for services to return to the local hospital.
The group of eight, which formed in late 2012, had a busy year in 2013, with a strong campaign in the Yarra Valley to get surgical, dialysis and maternity services secured for the community.
When Health Minister David Davis announced that the hospital would receive $7.8 million for an expansion, it was an affirmation of the group’s efforts, with many of the services they sought being listed in the announcement.
Once the upgrade is complete in coming years, six renal dialysis chairs will be available for patients along with surgery via a new theatre and increased appointments for cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology and respiratory services will be available.
Following the announcement, the group continued to gain momentum with its campaign, hoping to restore birthing services to the area after they were halted at the hospital around October 2012.
The closure meant that Yarra Valley residents have to travel for about an hour to reach the Angliss Hospital or Box Hill Hospital for maternity services.
A balloon release was held on the anniversary of the maternity ward’s closure with blue and pink balloons representing children born at the hospital in the past.
The group has also been actively fundraising for a business case study.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Ryrie Ward councillor and member of SHHAG Fiona McAllister said that 2013 had been an amazing year for the group.
“At every turn, we had such incredible support – from the hundreds who came along to the meeting, to the thousands on Facebook and in surveys,” she said.
“Overall, in terms of what the group has achieved for community and on behalf of the community… we wouldn’t have predicted we’d be at this point a year later.”
Cr McAllister said the group has most of the $75,000 needed for the business case study, thanks to a recent donation of $10,000 from the Strawberry Growers’ Association.
The donation complements about $50,000 from the Federal Government, more than $5000 from the Friends of Forestry and $2500 from Bendigo Bank.
The business case study will assess whether or not Healesville Hospital should separate from Eastern Health and become an independent rural hospital.
Cr McAllister thanked members of the local community and her other group members for their steadfast support over the year and for all of their help lobbying, generating community interest, and for not giving up on the hospital.
“It’s been a year of pretty amazing outcomes, and it’s such a brilliant reminder of what our community achieves when they stand up for something really important to them,” Cr McAllister said.
Throughout the campaign, the group’s members have met with Mr Davis for discussions about the hospital and its future.
The group members have said that the Victorian Government has supported SHHAG and its goals.
The year held many victories for SHHAG and its members and those victories have helped the group to gain momentum towards their ultimate goal of having a fully-equipped and fully-functioning hospital to service Yarra Valley residents.
If the coming year is anything like the last, big things can be expected of the campaign.
