Page MP Janelle Saffin today opened the new education centre at St Vincents Private Hospital in Lismore, built with a Federal Government grant of $884,000.
“I’m sure the students will appreciate the benefits of these modern facilities when training gets underway at the start of next semester,” Ms Saffin said.
“The new centre will benefit students and professionals in nursing, medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and mental health, as well as supporting the continuing education of GPs and registrars.
“The funding, under the Innovative Clinical Teaching and Training Grants, was part of the Government’s program that is expanding the rural health workforce.
“Infrastructure projects such as these enable us to train more doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in our local area, where we need them.
“It is good to know that these state of the art facilities will be used by other learning institutions and training providers, as well as St Vincents.
“This is good for our community.
“After having announced the grant last year, I’m delighted to be here to see how well the project has been delivered.
“It is a great example of modern design meeting our changing needs. It has been built with the flexibility to adapt to various styles of teaching and learning, from large conferences to small classes and of course incorporating the latest technology,” Ms Saffin said.
“I congratulate St Vincents Hospital, the key partners-Ballina Tafe, Southern Cross University, Northern Rivers GP Network and the University Centre for Rural Health- and all those involved in working on this building project.”