HealthOne Quirindi to open ahead of schedule
24 March 2011
Quirindi’s new one-stop shop health facility HealthOne Quirindi will open next month, about four weeks ahead of schedule.
HealthOne Quirindi brings primary health care services – including GPs, community and allied health, and visiting medical specialists – under one roof.
The new facility adjoins the existing Quirindi Hospital and has been built at a cost of $2.87 million, with $2.62 million from the NSW Government and a $250,000 contribution from BHP Billiton’s Caroona Coal Project Community Fund.
HealthOne Quirindi is expected to open from Monday, 11 April 2011. It was initially scheduled for completion in May.
Quirindi Health Service Manager Luke Sams said completion of the new facility was great news for the people of Quirindi and the Liverpool Plains.
“This is a wonderful new facility that will provide improved access for the people of Quirindi to a range of primary health care services,” Mr Sams said.
“It has already bought other benefits.
“The opportunity to work from HealthOne Quirindi has helped us to recruit new doctors to town. When the facility opens we will have four general practitioners working there part-time who will also provide on-call emergency department cover for the hospital.
“At this stage we anticipate HealthOne Quirindi will open to the public on Monday, 11 April and our Community Health and Allied Health staff and other services will progressively move in in readiness during the week before,” he said.
“We will also be inviting Quirindi residents to join us on a tour through the new facility before it opens. It will be a chance for residents to have a look at the facilities before our clinicians move in and to ask any questions.”
Mr Sams also praised the work of Hunter New England Local Health Network’s Area Construction Team which has built the new facility.
“This has been the largest project they have undertaken and they have brought it in within budget, ahead of schedule and have done a quality job.
“It means we will be able to open earlier than initially expected and start providing integrated primary health care services to the people of Quirindi.
“It is testament to our Construction Team’s hard work and the efficiencies they have been able to find along the way.”
The Area Construction Team was named Support Unit of the Year at last year’s Hunter New England Local Health Network’s Staff Achievement Awards.
HealthOne Quirindi incorporates:
• General Practitioner consulting rooms
• treatment rooms
• physiotherapy department
• paediatric therapy room for paediatric speech pathology and occupational therapy
• counselling rooms
• clinical consulting rooms, and
• an audiometry testing room to conduct hearing tests.
Contact: Frances Holz
Phone: 4939 2216