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BASS COAST HEALTH – A new cancer treatment centre in Wonthaggi
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.
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Receiving cancer treatment is a stressful, costly and exhausting experience for cancer patients and their carers.
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." “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.”
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.
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.
George said that his work with patients in the region emphasised the need to treat patients locally and the L. Rigby Centre was filling this gap.
“This will be a model for other regional places throughout Victoria and Australia,” he said.
“In planning for this beautiful facility we were adamant that this would be about growing care capability in the region.”
The light filled treatment centre was purpose built to offer nine chairs with views to an outside garden and three consulting rooms close to treatment and care at Wonthaggi Hospital.
The centre was designed by BBP Architects, and built by a project team led by TS Constructions.
Bass Coast Health’s local auxiliaries also garnered support and funds for the L. Rigby Centre. The San Remo Op-Shop Auxiliary, Inverloch Fundraising Auxiliary, the Inverloch Art Show Auxiliary, Phillip Island Health Hub Auxiliary and the Bass Coast Ladies Auxiliary collectively raised $244,981.
A further $25,567.90 has been raised to date from other community members for furnishings and equipment.
THE L. RIGBY CENTRE
WHAT THE L. RIGBY CENTRE MEANS
Families in the Bass Coast community that have suffered from cancer have a deep understanding of what the L. Rigby Centre means.
Kirsten Weinzierl, an Operations Director at Bass Coast Health, has worked to take the Integrated Care Centre from an idea to reality.
She knew the need for the Integrated Care Centre from a clinical perspective but also from a deeply personal level.
Several years ago, Kirsten’s husband Rob was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. Her mother died of the same cancer when she was just a teenager.
Up until the diagnosis, Kirsten and Rob were working fulltime; Rob was self-employed.
“The unforeseen costs of travelling back and forth to the city for treatment were incredible. We estimated it to be about $70,000 when we considered fuel, food and accommodation and loss of income,” she said.
The travel also had a huge impact on the wellbeing of their family.
“Our son was 14 at the time and we had to organise care. It was a very difficult time in our life,” Kirsten said.
Building the centre was an important project for Wonthaggi firm TS Constructions. Company director Trevor Bowler said the peak of construction saw up to 60 tradespeople involved in the project, most of them local.
