Health services in the inner-west have received a welcome boost with the opening of cohealth’s new health centre in Footscray.
Health Minister Jill Hennessy joined cohealth board chair Kay Rundle and chief executive Lyn Morgain on Tuesday to officially unveil the new four floor health centre at 78 Paisley Street.
The health centre includes a 12 chair dental clinic and medical and pathology services, along with refugee health clinics, podiatry, counselling and physiotherapy.
The new centre received a kick-start in 2013 via a $9.7 million state government funding promise.
Dental Health Services Victoria had dubbed the existing Paisley Street dental clinic “the worst public dental clinic in the state” in terms of the age and condition of the buildings and equipment.
The service faced the threat of closure due to a raft of troubles including vermin, termites, electrical hazards, rusty chairs and narrow passageways in the converted house, built in the 1960s.
cohealth chief executive Lyn Morgain said the new health centre builds on a 40-year history of service delivery in Footscray.
“We are delighted to be able to offer a range of health and support services, all under the one roof in a contemporary, purpose built facility, so that health care for people in Melbourne’s west is easy to access, coordinated, and can be tailored to peoples’ individual needs,” she said.
“Making services easy to access and providing all round care is important, given that the people who use our services often face significant health disadvantages and have ongoing or complex needs.”
Health minister Jill Hennessy said community health services like cohealth are uniquely placed to deliver programs because of their strong connections to their local community.
“It’s a great honour to open this modern, new dental clinic that’s going to make a real difference to so many people in Footscray and beyond.”
