Where your money goes
The Barwon Health Foundation is an independent charity, governed by a passionate and dedicated Board of Directors who are fiercely committed to supporting the health of Geelong and to uphold the wishes of our supporters.
The Barwon Health Foundation takes our role – as the custodians of our supporter donations – very seriously.
The donations from our supporters have a great impact on the lives of people under the care of Barwon Health, across a wide spectrum of health services. Some areas our donors choose to support are:
For over 170 years, University Hospital Geelong (previously Geelong Hospital) provides high quality, safe, compassionate care for the community in the Geelong and South Western Victoria region.
Health services available through Barwon Health cover emergency and acute, to mental health, primary care, community services, aged care and sub-acute/rehabilitation.
Barwon Health Maternity Services commenced providing maternity care to the Geelong community in 1954 at the much loved ‘Baxter House’. In 1999, a major redevelopment, of the then named Geelong Hospital, involved construction of the Bellerine Centre, with relocation of Maternity Services to the main hospital campus.
Maternity Services cares for more than 2,500 pregnant women and their babies born at University Hospital Geelong each year. Within Maternity Services is the Cotton On Special Care Nursery where more than 630 babies reside, who need that extra level of care and support.
Barwon Health’s maternity services provide a comprehensive pregnancy, birthing, postnatal and newborn, and lactation (breastfeeding) service to support women in receiving the best care and support available to them.
Located in Heath Wing 3 at University Hospital Geelong is the Cotton On Children’s Ward.
University Hospital Geelong’s Children’s Ward is a vibrant, 28-bed general paediatric unit caring for infants, children, and adolescents with a variety of medical and surgical conditions.
The family-oriented unit allows for parents and carers to stay and be actively involved with their child’s care during the admission. All rooms have accompanying bathrooms and sofa beds and there is a spacious parent's room available complete with breakfast-making facilities, couches, and a television.
A large children’s playroom and playground allow patients and their siblings play time which is an important aspect of children’s health and recovery.
The paediatric home care program enables continuity of care if required once a child is discharged, enabling nursing staff to conduct home visits to monitor progress and to support families.
Our dedicated and experienced medical, nursing, and allied health team pride themselves on providing high quality
The Andrew Love Cancer Centre supports adults experiencing cancer with world class treatment options including radiotherapy treatment, chemotherapy, apheresis unit/stem cell collection, transplant clinic and haematology services.
The Andrew Love Cancer Centre opened in 1992 and was the first regional centre in Victoria. It is named after the Reverend Andrew Love, who became the first Presbyterian minister in Geelong in 1840. He was also a trustee and donor to the Geelong Infirmary and Benevolent Asylum, which later became The Geelong Hospital, and is now known as University Hospital Geelong.
Each year more than 2,400 people are diagnosed with cancer in the Geelong region, and the Chemotherapy Day Ward at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre treats more than 220 people every week.
We have a dedicated cancer inpatient ward located at University Hospital Geelong, and a range of complementary services such as clinical trials and pharmacy at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre (ALCC), allowing us to offer patients the very best treatments available.
The ALCC Wellness Lounge provides unprecedented cancer support for patients and their families in the Geelong region.
Cancer Services are staffed by a highly trained and dedicated team of professionals who provide support to you and your family during your cancer journey, helping you maintain your physical, social, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing.
Barwon Health also have a specialised survivorship team who provide support to you after you have finished your treatment.
In May 2019, the Barwon Health Foundation proudly unveiled the refurbished Andrew Love Cancer Centre Chemotherapy Day Ward and Allerton Family Oncology Pharmacy.
Over the years, there has been a key focus at Barwon Health to enhance care provided within the community, at home, in a familiar environment.
Barwon Health currently provides a range of care and support services within the community. These include; the Community Palliative Care Program - providing end of life care within a client’s home, often surrounded by loved ones; Hospital in the Home, bringing the hospital to you; and the Home Dialysis Services, allowing renal patients to dialyses within their comfortable surrounds.
There are many other services provided within the community which enable the right care to be delivered at the right place and at the right time.
It’s an expression we use every day, so it might surprise you that the term ‘mental health’ is frequently misunderstood.
Barwon Health’s mental health services are aimed primarily at people with serious mental illness or mental disorder who have associated significant levels of disturbance and psychosocial disability due to their illness or disorder.
A variety of specialised services are available across the age range, from children to those over 65 years of age.
There is a real emphasis on providing early intervention to young people and developing partnerships with other organisations to utilise a full range of services.
A reform of the mental health, drugs and alcohol service is currently underway to improve Barwon Health’s acute intervention services and continuing care services responses for the community we work with.
A key project within mental health services currently is to redevelop the Swanston Centre to include a dedicated four-bed high dependency area.
In the Emergency Department, a crisis hub is currently being built to support a clear pathway for mental health patients and those affected by drugs or alcohol.
By supporting mental health services at Barwon Health, you are making a huge difference to the health and happiness of the region.
A significant priority of the Barwon Health Foundation Board, and as supported by many local philanthropists, is to build an endowment that will generate funds to support our region’s health service and research needs in perpetuity.
The endowment is contributed to through bequests, named funds, and large gifts that have been entrusted to the Board.
The endowment is carefully managed by the Board through our Finance and Investment Committee and is distributed to various areas of need via Grant rounds.
Whilst the Foundation still operates all year round with donations for campaigns for immediate needs and impact, donors can also choose to leave the decision to the Foundation Board to be allocated to the area of greatest need or in a named fund (in the name of individuals or families).
Many bequests are also directed towards supporting and building the endowment.
If you would like more details on how you or your family could establish a named fund and contribute to the endowment, please contact Francis Trainor on 4215 8900 or email ftrainor@barwonhealth.org.au
Barwon Health (as the University Hospital Geelong) has been a research-based health service for over 50 years.
Overwhelming evidence indicates that health services who participate in research are better performers, improving the quality of care for patients and lowering mortality rates.
International studies suggest that for every dollar invested in health and medical research, there is a $3-$7 return.
With a clear focus on population health and chronic disease, Barwon Health’s medical research changes lives, translates knowledge into practice and policy, and focusses on research excellence to deliver sustainable healthcare that benefits the Barwon region and beyond. Much of the work being done in research at Barwon is world class and has the capacity to be Geelong’s gift to the world!
From ground-breaking research in mental health, to incredible world class cohort studies delving into the causes of children’s allergies, asthma, autism, anxiety and depression. Barwon Health also undertakes observational studies into health ageing that are referred to around the world, as well as amazing research into emerging infectious diseases. In addition, there is outstanding clinical trials research taking place across so many areas of medicine every day at University Hospital Geelong.
Geelong is home to world class medical research, and Barwon Health is at the forefront of this proactive approach to solving local and world health problems.
For more information on medical research and how you might be able to assist in supporting our extraordinary brilliant minds, please contact Francis Trainor on 4215 8900 or email ftrainor@barwonhealth.org.au
