Saturday marks 30 years since the idea of Western Health first emerged.
The Bracks’ government aligned the Western, Williamstown and Sunshine hospitals into Western Health back in 2000, but its origins go back more than a decade before then.
Our predecessor,
The Advocate, reported on November 5, 1986, Western General Hospital in Footscray, Sunshine and District Community Hospital and Sunshine Hospitals and Health Services Society at St Albans were set to merge.
Plans for a $66 million, 285 bed hospital on Furlong Road, Sunshine, began, described as “an exciting and challenging project” by then Western General executive director Jonathon Tribe.
“The hospital in its new role will become the first of its kind in Victoria to be located on two separate campuses, one in Footscray and one in Sunshine,” he said at the time.
Thirty years on, even brighter days are ahead with construction starting on the new $200 million Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital. Sunshine Hospital general manager Damian Gibney said Western Health was now the western suburbs’ biggest employer with about 6500 people on staff.
