Dundas Valley: Liberals promise funding for Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital

Parents of children with severe disabilities have shared how a funding boost for a “one-of-a-kind” northwest Sydney hospital will alleviate their pressures.

A $2 million boost to the Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital at Dundas Valley will make an “immense difference” to help the facility bounce back from Covid and continue providing respite and permanent care for children with complex disabilities and medical needs.

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston and Parramatta federal Liberal candidate Maria Kovacic revealed the funding boost at the private 44-bed centre, which serves newborns to teenagers who have genetic or chromosomal disorders, birth trauma, cerebral palsy, head and spinal injuries, neurological and other conditions acquired after birth.

The funding will support Allowah’s recovery after the pandemic when restrictions and fluctuating hospital admissions battered its financial stability and its ability to provide essential care.

The facility supports up to 180 families across NSW, including Kimberley Jones, whose four-year-old daughter Grace Burge has severe epilepsy which causes her to have 50 seizures a day and constant care such as repositioning and checking oxygen levels.

“It’s like a giant newborn baby — they need a lot of love and they need a lot of specialist care,’’ Ms Jones said.

“It doesn’t stop and it’s unpredictable so it’s hard to plan your life around this. It’s not just physical and emotional but there’s a lot of grief.

“Her situation is life limiting so we just have to give her the best care while we can.’’

Kimberley Jones depends on Allowah to help look after her daughter Grace Burge.

Despite Grace requiring around-the-clock care, she is not deemed sick enough for a tertiary hospital so her mum depends on Allowah.

“I don’t know what we would do without Allowah,’’ Ms Jones said.

“I just can’t imagine it not being in our lives.’’

Fellow parent Yee-Foong Stone, whose son Brendan is a quadriplegic and has cerebral palsy, attends Karonga special needs school at Epping but has overnight stays at Allowah.

She told Ms Ruston how a special needs child carried a higher risk, so having a cold could lead to admission to the intensive care unit, which happened to her nine-year-old son when he was in Westmead Hospital for a month.

The mums underlined the importance of Allowah and told Ms Ruston that while the National Disability Insurance Scheme assisted their children, it was a constant “fight” with realms of paperwork to justify the need for help.

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston with Allowah resident Arabella Turner and Parramatta Liberal candidate Maria Kovacic.

A quarter of the hospital’s children, such as two-year-old Arabella Turner, are permanent residents.

Allowah chief executive officer Elizabeth McClean said the funding boost would assist the “one-of-a-kind” hospital, which has 120 staff.

“It makes an immense difference,’’ she said.

“In terms of this organisation continuing we’ve just about run out of internal resources because of Covid in the last couple of years but to give hope to the families that will be able to keep going is really important.

Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital chief executive officer Elizabeth McClean was delighted about the funding pledge for her facility.

“We’ve been a quiet organisation that just gets on with the job in the background for many years but Covid was something completely out of the box.’’

Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital has operated at Dundas Valley since the 1970s and was rebuilt on the existing site at Perry St in 2009.

Political hopefuls have not been strangers to the suburb as they hit the hustings.

Last week, the State Government chose the Kissing Point Rd and Stewart St intersection at Dundas Valley to pledge $37 million towards upgrading roads across NSW.

The St Bernadette’s Primary School booth at Cox Cres is considered a bellwether polling station — they have picked the party that goes on to win the federal election every year since 2004.

MORE NEWS

Wentworth Point promised $8.5 million for Hill Rd, Bennelong Parkway

Federal Election 2022: Pre-poll booths see thousands of early voters

Originally published as Dundas Valley: Liberals promise funding for Allowah Presbyterian Children’s Hospital