A NEW CANCER TREATMENT CENTRE FOR BASS COAST AND SOUTH GIPPSLAND IS EASING THE BURDEN OF TREATMENT ON CANCER PATIENTS DURING ONE OF THE MOST TRYING TIMES OF THEIR LIVES. Bass Coast Health (BCH) opened its Integrated Care Centre – known as the L. Rigby Centre – at Wonthaggi Hospital on 29 March this year in response to a high incidence of cancer rates in the region.
“We know that this is already making a huge difference to patients and their families in our region. It’s a very exciting time for our community and the staff at BCH.”
Receiving cancer treatment is a stressful, costly and exhausting experience for cancer patients and their carers.
The modern treatment centre offers nine chairs and three consulting rooms at Wonthaggi Hospital and expands the cancer service that was already being delivered in collaboration with Alfred Health.
By being able to receive treatment locally, many cancer patients in the Bass Coast and South Gippsland no longer have to travel round trips of three hours or more to receive treatment at Melbourne centres. The leading expertise brought to BCH from the Alfred Health Oncology team and the skills sharing between the health services has been pivotal to building local services. The introduction of an Integrated Care Unit, new facilities and specialist services met a service gap in the region, with instances of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer more than 20% higher than most regions in Victoria. Cancer is a leading cause of disease burden in Victoria with an average of 84 new diagnoses of cancer every day and the leading cause of death in Gippsland. Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child has watched the BCH’s cancer services grow since commencing. “Specialist Haematologists including Dr George Grigoriadis and Dr Abbi Willcox, Specialist Medical Oncologists such as Professor Mark Shackleton and Adj Assoc Prof Andrew Haydon, and Specialist Radiation Oncologist Associate Professor Hany Elsbeth are all providing world class cancer care at BCH”. “These specialists are joined by our BCH nursing and pharmacy staff who underwent training at Alfred Health to ensure our chemotherapy treatments are safe and of a high quality."
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Co-designed by staff and patients, the build was possible thanks to support from the Australian Government announced by Monash MP Russell Broadbent and donations from the generous local community, including a generous donation of $850,000 from Lawrence, Doreen and Lorelei Rigby - a donation recognised through the centre being named the L. Rigby Centre. “We have had extraordinary support from the Commonwealth Government in funding much of the building, the Victorian Government in funding the doctors and nurses and the growth of this service, and a truly wonderful local community that has supported the furnishings and equipment,” Ms Child said. “With the doors open for this much needed facility, we couldn’t be more excited. We feel very blessed.” George Grigoriadis, Specialist Hematologist, joined Bass Coast Health two years ago to start cancer services at Wonthaggi Hospital with Dr Abbey Willcox and to help shape the vision for the new L. Rigby Centre. Dr George Grigoriadis said the completion of the L. Rigby Centre “is an extraordinary outcome and I’m excited for our Bass Coast community. The design sees all of our services working together so that our patients feel well supported”. “To me it’s the most amazing and enjoyable thing to be part of. It gives me purpose working with this team to realise what we can contribute to this community,” he said.
