Our Achievements

The Barwon Health Foundation, in partnership with the community, raises funds for all manner of needs of our health service - for vital medical equipment, for care packages for our most vulnerable, support for our healthcare heroes, investing in cutting edge research projects and scholarships for our brightest emerging minds.

We also fundraise for important capital projects and to support vital services.

Some of our most impactful projects are listed below. 

2019 - Project Love

Three years of fundraising and community spirit came to fruition in May 2019, as the Barwon Health Foundation officially opened the Chemotherapy Day Ward and Allerton Family Oncology Pharmacy at Barwon Health’s Andrew Love Cancer Centre.

This project was made possible thanks to a generous bequest made by the Allerton Family, along with generous support from donors and community supporters.

Launched in 2015, Project Love was a $4.1 million fundraising campaign to redevelop the Chemotherapy Day Ward and Oncology Pharmacy. The redevelopment was undertaken to improve patient comfort and care to meet the growing needs of the community, including the 2,400 people diagnosed with cancer in the Geelong region each year. The redevelopment is now making a big difference to the many patients requiring chemotherapy treatment each week.

2018 - Maternity Hub

Barwon Health’s new Cotton On Foundation Maternity Hub was officially opened on 27 February 2018 with thanks to the generosity of the Geelong community who participated in Run Geelong or who donated to the Barwon Health Foundation, including local groups Bibury Trust, Kiwanis and South Barwon Auxiliary.

The project was completed as a result of fundraising $1.25 million with a vision to provide the very best facility and service to families and newborns of Geelong. Last year 2,574 babies were born at Barwon Health. The mothers were able to access the new, spacious waiting area of the Maternity Hub which was part of the refurbishment in 2018.

Pregnant women are referred to the assessment unit for a variety of reasons but most commonly due to complications arising during pregnancy. This can be a very anxious time and the new space allows for more privacy during assessment and treatment. The last five years has seen a growth of six per cent in patient numbers, meaning the redesign will help future-proof Maternity Services for new parents and babies

2015 - Special Care Nursery

This two-year project was a result of a partnership between the Barwon Health Foundation, the local community and Run Geelong who came together to raise $4 million for this special project.

The previous nursery had outgrown the needs of the community with space for only 13 cribs.

The redeveloped nursery now provides additional space for more cribs and storage, plus a separate treatment room and parents’ room. Catering for up to 20 cribs, the redevelopment included two dedicated resuscitation rooms, offering more privacy for families during the hardest times. Overnight rooms enable parents to stay close to their babies, while a dedicated feeding room and milk preparation room provides a spacious and comfortable environment for families.

Now more than 630 babies are cared for within the nursery every year thanks to our generous supporters.

2013 - Children's Ward

Over a four-year period, the community donated $7.8 million to complete the Cotton On Children’s Ward redevelopment at University Hospital Geelong, which opened on 31 January 2013.

The finished project included new furniture and décor, a dedicated parents room, consultation and treatment rooms, high dependency rooms to provide one-on-one monitored care for the sickest children, ensuites to all rooms with improved facilities, new electric beds and various medical equipment, a new oncology treatment room and a refurbished playroom.

2009 - Emergency Department

In 2008 and 2009, the new Emergency Department at University Hospital Geelong was the fundraising priority for the Barwon Health Foundation, raising $3.6 million to fund the equipment required to bring the $26 million facility to life.

The new facility provided increased space, separate waiting and treatment areas for adults and children, a distressed relative’s room, two new resuscitation bays, an expanded waiting area, and emergency clinics to meet specific patient needs, streaming of patient presentations to dedicated assessment areas including fast track, adult, paediatrics, resuscitation and mental health, plus two new x-ray rooms.