By Parker Mckenzie
$27,000 was raised by Maroondah Hospital and the Rotary Club of Maroondah for the hospital’s gender-sensitive care in inpatient settings on Tuesday 23 May, after a successful gala night hosted by the Rotary Club.
On Tuesday 23 May, Rotary Club members and Eastern Health staff met at Maroondah Hospital to hand over the huge fundraising effort.
Eastern Health chief executive officer David Plunkett said it was “great to receive such a generous donation from the Rotary Club.”
“The support from the Maroondah Rotary Club is incredibly humbling, for people to give up their time to be able to raise funds for our mental health staff and patients,” he said.
“The support the community show towards our services is just extraordinary and such incredible effort that people have volunteered and the time they have given to be able to raise the money is inspiring.”
The gala dinner, which Bendigo Bank and Eastland supported, was held on 18 March at the Karralyka Centre and raised just over $27,000 for mental health, with Eastern Health providing speakers for the event.
Mental Health Compliance Manager Kirsten Stanner said while the hospital receives government funding, the fundraising will allow Eastern Health to provide new opportunities.
“We’re looking to improve gender-sensitive care to our consumers in these inpatient units,” he said.
“They’re comingled units currently, so it gives us the opportunity to improve our gender-sensitive areas, particularly for women.”
She said often people in the inpatient unit are some of the most vulnerable community members.
“Being able to give them the opportunity to utilise sensory strategies or things that they may not be able to access while they’re in the community is really important,” Ms Stanner said.
“We’d really like to thank the Rotary Club of Maroondah, Bendigo Bank and Eastland for their generous donations during the gala and to all the community members that came out.”
Maroondah Hospital was opened in 1976 and offers several services to the local community, including emergency, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and mental health.
Mr Plunkett said the money will improve the experience for both staff and clients who use and work at the hospital.
“For people who are admitted to our inpatient units, it is often the worst time of their life. Our staff work hard to make it better, but every bit of support helps,” he said.
“We’ve had a great relationship with the Rotary a number of times. They’ve supported many initiatives, including for breast cancer and other services like that.”
