Millions for Mental Health

By Lia Bichel
WORK on the largest Victorian mental health development in50 years kicked off at the Dandenong Hospital yesterday (Wednesday).
The $69 million redevelopment of the hospital’s mental health facility will feature more inpatient beds and site-wide infrastructure upgrades.
The project will create about 290 new jobs during construction.
Dandenong MP John Pandazopoulos said the project was a major boost for the community and would provide residents with “world class mental health support and services.”
The state-of-the-art facility will replace the outdated mental health acute inpatient units and provide a purpose built aged acute mental health inpatient service at the hospital.
It will increase the availability of secure beds across the state by almost 30 per cent.
Inpatient beds will increase from 77 to 120 once the development is complete, and there will also be an additional 30 residential beds.
The facility will not only improve the quality of care for people in south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, but will also address the growth in demand, Southern Health Chief Executive Shelly Park said at the sod turning yesterday.
Southern Health’s Executive Director of Mental Health Anne Doherty agreed.
“This new facility means a real boost for mental health services in the south-eastern corridor. The expansion to mental health services at Dandenong will allow the hospital to treat more mental health patients and in better facilities,” she said.
“We know mental illness is one of the greatest challenges facing our communities and this development will go a long way to meeting a real need.”
The redevelopment was a “once-in-a generation capital works project” State Mental Health Minister Lisa Neville said yesterday.
“We are working with clinicians, carers and patients to develop and deliver nation-leading policies that will ensure Victoria continues to lead the way in mental health reform,” she said.
“We know providing residential support and clinical treatment to people with a mental illness as early as possible can help prevent a lifttime of chronic illness.”
Completion is scheduled for early 2012.