Labor candidate for Farrer Kieran Drabsch wants to ensure a new privacy room will be created at Griffith Base Hospital through the NSW Government’s $224 million redevelopment project.
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Presently there is only one designated privacy room available at GBH that can be used to allow people suffering from mental health crises or incidents of domestic or sexual violence to receive their necessary treatment discreetly.
Linking Communities CEO Yvonne Wilson said she welcomes the support and wants to see cooperation around the issue rather than it being turned into a ‘political football’ to be kicked along party, state and federal lines.
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Mrs Wilson has herself been lobbying since 1978 for a designated private space specifically for sexual assault victims awaiting treatment at Griffith Base.
“A new designated private room could also be used for families to grieve and talk to a doctor,” Mrs Wilson said.
“Accident victims die in emergency, but where do the families go when they are informed?
“They need a private room to grieve,” Mrs Wilson said.
Mr Drabsch said he has been conferring with his party counterparts as to the federal options he has available for supporting a new privacy room if he wins this year’s federal election.
According to Mr Drabsch such federal funding could help ensure a new privacy room is created at GBH druing the redevelopment and would likely take the form of a grant to be given for the hospital via the NSW Government’s state health budget.
A spokesman for Health Infrastructure said in June 2017 the NSW Government committed $35 million towards stage one of the Griffith Base Hospital redevelopment and in December 2018 announced a further $189 million will be going towards stage two.
The spokesman said the master plan for stage two of the the hospital redevelopment currently includes new private consultation spaces.
“Concept planning is currently being developed in consultation with hospital staff,” the spokesman said.
“This allows us to refine the masterplan and start determining where everything should be located to ensure the redeveloped hospital works to support patient centred care and is as efficient as possible.
“Planning for the redevelopment including staff and community consultation will continue throughout 2019,” the spokesman said.
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