Housing for medical professionals open!

MEDIA RELEASE - Housing for medical professionals open and tenanted

May 2016

The build and fit out of a housing complex in Manjimup for medical professionals is now complete and was formally opened by the Hon. Terry Redman MLA today, Thursday 5 May 2016.Three townhouse style apartments have been constructed as dual-use to cater for the varying nature of today's medical professionals.

The project received $1.2 million of funding through the Royalties for Regions 'Country Local Government Fund', as well as a $708,000 contribution from the Shire of Manjimup. The portion of land upon which the apartments are constructed is a part of the Warren District Health Campus Reserve. The area was formerly leased by St John Ambulance and has now been excised and vested in the Shire of Manjimup

"The idea for this project first came about several years ago when we identified a gap in housing and short-term accommodation in the community, which was found to be a contributing factor to General Practitioners and Specialists not visiting or remaining in the area to provide vital health services," said Shire President Wade DeCampo.

"We wanted to provide an incentive for GPs to stay in the region long-term, with the aim of reducing the waiting period to see a GP in Manjimup and to replace locum salaried doctors at Warren Distrct Health Campus with a medical roster of local GPs who work reasonable on-call roster hours."

Each of the three apartments are made up of two components. One component is a unit for longer-term tenants such as General Practitioners and their partners and/or family, which is adjoined by a self-contained suite for utilisation on a short-term basis by visiting medical practitioners such as specialists or other health professionals. Each component has its own security and private entry.

Cr DeCampo also explained the rationale behind providing the additional short-term accommodation, saying "the hope is that it will encourage visiting practitioners to hold regular clinics in Manjimup which will reduce the need for patients to travel to Bunbury or Perth for check-ups, treatments and/or procedures."

"The successful completion of the housing complex is a result of ongoing consultation with the community, local health professionals, WA Country Health Service, St John Ambulance and the State Government," explained Cr DeCampo. "Health and accommodation are both areas that local governments don't generally get involved in, however the situation at the time was critical, which is why the Shire took the lead. Things have certainly evolved since then and the demand for the units is considerable. The intent is for lease income received by the Shire to be quarantined toward future maintenance obligations, to ensure long-term viability of the project," said Cr DeCampo.

-ENDS-

Authorised by Andrew Campbell, Chief Executive Officer

Contact Gina Nieuwendyk, Coordinator Communication and Executive Support

Contact: 9771 7777

Contact for comment: Wade DeCampo, Shire President

Contact: 0427 094 081