Barwon Health North
Ella GEORGE (Lara) (10:45): Barwon Health North has been a game changer for the health and wellbeing of the local community in the northern suburbs of Geelong. Last week marked an important milestone in officially opening the new dental facilities. This was another step in the vision that the state Labor government has had for Barwon Health North since its opening in 2020. These facilities offer nine dental chairs to our community, and it is a great example of what can be achieved when government, the health sector and the community all come together to work towards a shared goal. I am proud to be a member of the Allan Labor government that supported this vital project with $3.5 million in funding. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work of the Barwon Health Foundation and all the people who donated to the Project North appeal. This community appeal raised an incredible $2 million for the project to ensure that it has all of the state-of-the-art equipment needed to truly make it a world-class dental service. Community feedback was taken into account for the design of this facility, and for this I acknowledge the members of the community advisory committee, Gayle Newbury, Christopher Hutchinson and Sandra Anderson. You should be very proud of what you have achieved. Thanks also to Frances Diver, CEO at Barwon Health, and Professor Michael Smith, director of dental services, and everyone who has worked on this project and all of the incredible healthcare workers who are now providing dental care at Barwon Health North. Barwon Health North is so valuable to the local community, and the dental care now on offer adds to the wide range of health supports, including urgent care, medical imaging and dialysis – all available in one easy to access location.