Health facility reopens in Portarlington

Member for Corangamite Libby Coker MP, left, BCH Board Chair Fay Agterhuis, Assistant Minister for health and aged care Ged Kearney, and BCH chief executive officer Garry Ellis. (Supplied)

Redevelopment of the Bellarine Community Health (BCH) Portarlington site has been completed and is now open to the community.

Assistant Minister for health and aged care Ged Kearney said she welcomed BCH’s commitment to supporting the local community by updating the site’s ageing north wing.

“Nobody knows the needs better of a community than a community health service,” she said.

“I’m sure that this new facility will help you to continue to deliver expert clinical care and community health services for many years to come.”

BCH chief executive officer Garry Ellis said he was glad to see the project finished and clients enjoying the new facilities.

“It’s been a bit of a wait because of the impacts of the pandemic on the building construction, but it’s wonderful to now see clients back on site and our Social Support groups running again,” he said.

“We are exploring further ways we can enhance our service offering for the benefit of the local community and utilising the new space as much as we can for BCH services.”

Mr Ellis said he thanked Loram Constructions for the redevelopment and design of the facility.

“The team at Loaram have worked closely with us to deliver this project within its allocated budget, and I think the building is a wonderful addition to the Portarlington landscape,” he said.

The Portarlington Bellarine Community Health site was funded by the Department of Health’s Community Health and Hospitals Program.