Macquarie Home Stay Dubbo: Build starts on $2.45m patient accommodation
Residents from the western region who need to travel to Dubbo for medical treatments will benefit from additional rooms before Christmas. See what it means for patients.
Dubbo News
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A Central West town’s specialised patient accommodation facility will soon see the build of more than 20 additional rooms to provide relief for travelling patients.
The aim is to give more patients and their families access to affordable accommodation while seeking medical treatment in Dubbo.
The “home away from home” facility currently reaches maximum capacity and is unable to provide accommodation for patients who are needing spontaneous urgent medical care.
The 26-unit building will have one-bedroom, two-bedroom and family unit facilities and will also serve as a Country Women’s Association guesthouse.
The $2.45 million building will be constructed by Renascent, with an expectation to be completed before Christmas.
Dubbo Macquarie Homestay’s Rod Crowfoot said the new facility would primarily be for patients who were attending the Western Cancer Centre for treatment and have to travel more than 100 km.
“It is a very big commitment to be able to pack up everything at home and have to come away for an extended period of time to be able to look after their health, so having an appropriate place for people to stay, whether it is just the patient, their partner or extended support network is very important,” Mr Crowfoot said.
He said he was in the process of applying for grants for two additional unit precincts.
Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said since the Western Cancer Centre opened a lot more people had been coming to Dubbo for treatment.
“Having more opportunities to stay somewhere that’s affordable has made a huge difference,” he said.
Patient Linda Graham, of Coolah, has been in the facility for just over a week with her husband Alan and said the experience had been “really positive” and “amazing” so far.
She said before they organised their accommodation at the homestay, her husband drove more than 1800km a week to and from Dubbo Base Hospital.
Mr Graham said the facility is “so prepared” to help everybody in need.
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