St John of God Hospital Bendigo Smoke Free St John of God Hospital Bendigo went smoke free on June 30, 2008.
While the hospital has been smoke-free inside the buildings for some time, now smoking is not permitted on hospital grounds.
The public hospital, Bendigo Health, has made the move at the same time. Both health services are taking the lead to promote a healthy lifestyle to the community, and the feedback from the public has been very positive to date.
"There is mounting conclusive evidence of the risk of environmental tobacco smoke to non-smokers. As a hospital, we have a responsibility to promote a healthy lifestyle to the community and lead by example in having a smoke-free environment," CEO Michael Hogan said.
"Smoking can lead to serious complications before and after surgery, and patients have always been advised to cut down or quit smoking at least eight weeks before their operation."
The hospital will provide patients with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) free while they are in hospital to help to reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms and patients are being advised of the changes through their pre admission packs. Patients need to have the approval of their treating physician.
Visitors to both organisations are advised by clear signs and markings on the boundaries that no smoking is permitted beyond that point.
In what is seen as an innovative example of co-operation, the two hospitals are being assisted by Bendigo Community Health, which is running extra Quit courses, the Central Victoria General Practice Network (formerly the Central Victorian Division of GPs), the City of Greater Bendigo and local pharmacies.
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Bishop's Blessing Bishop Grech blesses hospital's new Cardiac Catheter Laboratory.
9 March 2007
Bishop Joseph Grech blessed and officially opened the new $1.5 million cardiac catheter laboratory at St John of God Hospital, Bendigo on Friday, 9 March.
The blessing ceremony was part of the hospital's celebration of St John of God Day 2007, which included Mass, an afternoon tea for guests at the blessing ceremony, small commemorative gifts for all patients and a caregiver barbecue lunch.
Hospital chaplain Fr John Naughton, hospital caregivers - including cardiac catheter laboratory staff - auxiliary volunteers and members of the public were among those who attended the blessing and opening.
Chief Executive Officer Michael Hogan said the state of the art facility began taking patients in mid December last year, and is significantly increasing the number and type of procedures able to be performed at St John of God Hospital, Bendigo.
"There will be a significant increase on the number of coronary angiograms and vascular procedures carried out in the old cardiac catheter laboratory, which had been operating since 1997," he said.
"The new equipment provides a far better, sharper image of a person's arteries, requires a lower dose of x-ray radiation enhancing patient safety, enables images to be stored and transported via DVDs and CDs, and is more comfortable for patients.
"It is wonderful to be able to offer this quality service to the people of Bendigo and the wider area. In the near future we hope to be able to not only identify artery blockages, but also insert stents, a service which is not currently available in the region.
"Heart, stroke and vascular disease are still the leading cause of death in Australia and there is therefore a huge need for this service," Mr Hogan added.
"This equipment can potentially save people's lives and will certainly enhance the quality of life for patients with these conditions."
$1.5m Catheter Laboratory New state of the art cardiac and vascular Catheter Laboratory opens at Bendigo.
12 December 2006
St John of God Hospital, Bendigo has invested $1.5 million in a new state of the art cardiac and vascular Catheter Laboratory.
The hospital's Chief Executive Officer, Michael Hogan, said the new Catheter Laboratory, which opens on 11 December, will enable the hospital to significantly increase the number of coronary angiograms and vascular procedures it performs.
"Heart, stroke and vascular disease are still the leading cause of death in Australia and there is therefore a huge need for this equipment, which will help diagnose and treat people living in Bendigo and surrounding regional areas," Mr Hogan said.
"This equipment can potentially save people's lives and will certainly enhance the quality of life for patients with heart, stroke and vascular disease."
The hospital's old Catheter Laboratory, commissioned in 1997, was used for over 650 procedures annually, including 550 angiograms and 100 pacemaker implants.
Catheter laboratories allow angiograms (images) to be taken of the heart and its major arteries to identify blockages and their location so they can be removed, usually via a stent - a hollow tube - inserted into the artery. Currently, patients needing a stent have to travel to Melbourne for the procedure, but in line with the hospital's investment in this new equipment, Mr Hogan is investigating providing a stent service in the future.
The laboratory also enables clinicians to investigate other artery blockages around the body. Although unable currently to perform cardiac stents, the hospital's interventional radiologist can insert stents in non-cardiac arteries to improve blood flow.
In both procedures, a contrast dye is injected into a patient's arteries, with its passage through the arteries recorded. Monitors display the dye's progress and where its passage is limited or blocked because of narrowed or blocked arteries.
The new equipment provides a far better, sharper image of a person's arteries, requires a lower dose of x-ray radiation enhancing patient safety, enables images to be stored and transported via DVDs and CDs, and is more comfortable for patients. The new Catheter Laboratory has been relocated to a larger, more accessible area adjacent to the hospital's radiology department.
New Echocardiography Service
St John of God Hospital Bendigo opens new Echocardiography Service
18 November 2005
St John of God Hospital Bendigo is now able to offer Echocardiograms and Stress Echocardiograms on site in conjunction with local Cardiologists and Cardiac Technicians. Cardiac specialists Dr Nim Nadarajah and Dr Voltaire Nadurata are providing the Echocardiography service at St John of God Hospital Bendigo, utilizing new and sophisticated equipment recently purchased for this purpose.
The new service will operate three days a week and is available not only to hospital inpatients, but also to the community through an outpatient clinic.
"Currently there is a high demand for Echocardiogram testing in the local Bendigo region", says Michael Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, St John of God Hospital Bendigo. "The Service has only been open for a week and has already conducted 6 normal Echocardiograms, 3 Stress Echocardiograms and 1 emergency portable Echocardiograms in a patient ward of the hospital."
The outpatient service is available to anyone with a GP or Physician referral, funded by Medicare. Bookings for the service can be made with Tammy at Dr Nim Nadarajah consulting rooms on (03) 5434 3477.
This new service continues the hospitals Commitment to the provision of cardiac services for our region and supplements the existing Coronary Angiography service, outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation programme and overnight care available in our Coronary Care Unit.
For further information regarding our new Echo service please contact Dr Nim Nadarajah on 5434 3477 or Cardiac Services Nurse Jenny Howe on 5434 3450.
What does an Echocardiogram test?
Patients with coronary artery blockages may have minimal or no symptoms at rest, but symptoms may be revealed by exposing the heart to the stress of exercise. More sophisticated than a treadmill electrocardiogram stress test, the addition of the Echo component provides the cardiologist with not only changes relating to the electrical activity of the heart but also with the opportunity to view changes in the motion of the left ventricle and or movement disorders of the heart muscle itself.
The equipment utilises software connected to a treadmill and automatically alters the treadmill pace and incline in line with the Bruce protocol. Patients are commenced at a warm up speed and then continue the treadmill component until they have reached 85% of their peak heart rate or are demonstrating symptoms of coronary artery blood flow compromise such as shortness of breath, chest pain or dizziness. During this component attention is paid to the heart rate, blood pressure ECG changes, arrhythmias and the patient¿s clinical presentation.
Patients not able to exercise because of physical difficulties such as arthritis will be able to undertake a Stress Echo with the use of Dobutamine with will provide a short acting chemical stress to the heart followed by the Echo.
New service for prostate cancer Brachytherapy treatment starts at St John of God Hospital, Bendigo
9 August 2005
A new treatment for prostate cancer involving the insertion of radioactive seeds into the prostate has started at St John of God Hospital, Bendigo.
Urologist Steven Lindsay has begun the new service as part of a collaborative venture between St John of God Health Care's hospitals in Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo.
The team leader for this new initiative is Dr Andrew See, a Radiation Oncologist based in Ballarat who has extensive experience at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Dr See attends each procedure as one member of a team of travelling specialists, which includes a physicist and a radiation safety officer who works with the local urologist at each hospital.
Brachytherapy is a potentially curative treatment for prostate cancer and involves inserting permanent radioactive seeds into the prostate under general anaesthetic.
Results of prostate Brachytherapy have been found to be as favorable as radical prostatectomy and external beam radiotherapy. The procedure takes only 1-2 hours to perform, with an overnight hospital stay, and its benefits include a decreased incidence of urinary incontinence and impotence when compared with surgical resection.
Candidates for the procedure include patients whose cancer is clinically confined to the prostate, classified as T1 or T2 tumours, and who have a life expectancy of more than five years.
Prior to seed implantation a transrectal ultrasound volumetric study of the prostate is obtained to formulate delivery of the prescribed minimal dose. Two weeks later, under general anaesthetic, permanent radioactive seeds are implanted transperineally via ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance.
Prostate cancer remains Victoria's most common male malignancy with over 3,000 men diagnosed annually. In one third of men, the disease is fatal. Brachytherapy is currently offered at the Freemasons, The Alfred and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and in regional Victoria is only available at St John of God Health Care's hospitals at Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong.
Urologist Steven Lindsay underwent extensive training at the Seattle Prostate Institute in the United States to become a prostate Brachytherapist and has obtained an Operator's Licence for Irradiating Apparatus under the Health (Radiation Safety) Regulations with the Department of Human Services.
Hospital launch
St John of God Health Care Bendigo's official launch on 14 April 2005
12 April 2005
St John of God Health Care Bendigo, formerly Mount Alvernia Mercy Hospital, will be officially launched under its new name at a ceremony on Thursday, 14 April 2005.
Over 120 guests from Bendigo, Melbourne and interstate will attend the launch, which starts at 10.30am. St John of God Health Care's National Chief Executive Officer, Dr Michael Stanford, who will officiate at the launch, said the ceremony marked an important new chapter in the hospital's history.
"As the new owner of the hospital, St John of God Health Care is excited about continuing the hospital's long tradition of excellence in Catholic healthcare provision," Dr Stanford said. "It is a hospital and service upon which we can continue to build, ensuring the people of Bendigo and surrounds can access comprehensive private healthcare services, provided by local people in their region."
The 119-bed hospital, which was founded in 1961, cares for more than 9,000 patients a year from Bendigo, northern and central Victoria as well as from southern New South Wales. The hospital was owned by Mercy Health & Aged Care prior to its acquisition in February this year by St John of God Health Care, a national Catholic not-for-profit health care provider.
St John of God Health Care Bendigo provides a broad range of medical, surgical, maternity and specialist services and operates a Day Procedure Unit, Sleep Disorders Unit, Critical Care Unit, Maternity Unit, Rehabilitation Unit and Coronary Angiography Unit.
Half of all regional and rural Victorians privately admitted to hospital are admitted to one of St John of God Health Care's hospitals, which are also located in Ballarat, Warrnambool and Geelong. In addition, the group operates pathology services across regional and rural Victoria, including in Bendigo, and imaging services from Ballarat and Geelong.
Acquisition complete
St John of God Health Care completes acquisition of Mount Alvernia Mercy Hospital
1 February 2005
St John of God Health Care Inc. today completed its acquisition of Mount Alvernia Mercy Hospital, extending its network of Victorian regional and metropolitan hospitals to Bendigo and surrounds.
Following today's settlement, the 119-bed hospital changes its name to St John of God Health Care Bendigo. The group's other Victorian hospitals are in Ballarat, Geelong and Warrnambool, and in Melbourne at Berwick and Frankston, while medical imaging and pathology services operate from Ballarat and Geelong, with pathology services extending across Victoria, including Bendigo.
St John of God Health Care's National Chief Executive Officer Dr Michael Stanford said the acquisition was integral to the organisation's commitment to meeting the needs of regional communities and ensuring they received comprehensive services and care of the highest quality.
"In addition, patients, doctors, caregivers, the community and others associated with St John of God Health Care Bendigo will enjoy the benefits of a values-based organisation centred around Hospitality, Compassion, Respect, Justice and Excellence," Dr Stanford said.
"Because the hospital was founded as a Catholic hospital in 1961 and we are a not-for-profit Catholic health care provider, we share a philosophy and value system that makes the integration of the hospital quite seamless." He said everyone at St John of God Health Care, Australia's fourth largest private health care group, was looking forward to working with the hospital and its community to continue to develop the facility and its services.
St John of God Health Care operates 11 hospitals, as well as medical imaging and pathology services, across Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales. The group's Social Outreach & Advocacy program, with an annual commitment of $7.5 million set to double by 2009, comprises strategies, services and advocacy initiatives across six key areas; Aboriginal health, alcohol and other drugs, international health, mental health, palliative care and rural health.
St John of God Health Care Bendigo provides a broad range of medical, surgical, maternity and specialist services and operates a number of units including Day Procedure, Sleep Diagnostic, Critical Care, Maternity, Rehabilitation, and Coronary Angiography.
The hospital's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Michael Hogan, who also led the hospital when it was part of the Mercy Health & Aged Care group, said caregivers and doctors were very positive about becoming part of St John of God Health Care. "The St John of God Health Care name is respected and people feel comfortable about being part of a group they respect," he said.
"Patients also have a view about the type of services they will get here - Christian based services with a lot of care, compassion and respect. The general philosophy of the hospital is not changing because we are remaining a Catholic health care provider."
While the hospital has been smoke-free inside the buildings for some time, now smoking is not permitted on hospital grounds.