Thousands of residents across Albury-Wodonga will soon get the emergency care they need in a new world-class emergency department (ED) - with the massive expansion of Albury-Wodonga Health's ED now at the halfway mark.
Delivering more emergency treatment spaces and medical facilities will allow more patients to be seen and help reduce wait times - this massive $36 million expansion is now on track to be completed by the middle of next year.
The expansion will feature 42 treatment spaces, a specialised resuscitation hub, paediatric treatment area, acute treatment area, and multiple triage rooms with their own accompanying waiting rooms.
The project will also deliver additional ambulance bays, X-Ray and CT scanning spaces, behavioural assessment rooms and private family consultation rooms are also included in the expansion, which will support almost 80,000 patients projected to go through the emergency department by 2031.
The project is being delivered in two stages. The first stage, construction of the new emergency department's is on track to be completed in late 2023 with the second stage delivering a new 16-bed short stay unit, expected to be completed in mid-2024.
The project has helped create and sustain more than 100 local jobs during peak construction.
Following this new emergency department construction will begin on the landmark $558 million redevelopment of the Albury Base Hospital so the Albury-Wodonga community have access to world-class healthcare they deserve, when they need it, close to home.
As stated by Victorian Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas:
"The new short stay unit will ensure that more locals can access the very best medical care sooner and closer to home and loved ones."
As stated by New South Wales Minister for Health Ryan Park:
"The expanded emergency department at Albury Hospital means more treatment spaces and world-class medical facilities are available to local communities and visitors to the region, when an emergency strikes."
"This project has been made possible by a strong relationship between the NSW and Victorian governments as well as with Albury Wodonga Health, and we look forward to seeing the newly completed ED up and running early next year."
As stated by Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes
"Albury-Wodonga Health is the biggest health service between Melbourne and Sydney, this project helps ensure it has the capacity and capability to provide emergency medical care when it's needed."
