Partnering to improve public health outcomes in Melbourne’s west

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Western Health and Netflow have announced a 23-year partnership to provide support to patients experiencing great hardship.

Western Health is the leading provider of public healthcare, providing a combination of hospital and community-based services, and Melbourne’s west is home to some of the most disadvantaged pockets in Australia.

Netflow is contracted by the Victorian Government to deliver the $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade public-private partnership that includes priority road upgrades and more than 260 kilometres of road rehabilitation and maintenance across Melbourne’s west for 23 years.

The partnership supports the Greatest Need Project, a Western Health initiative aimed at supporting patients experiencing severe disadvantage who are unable  to meet some of their most basic needs.

The Greatest Need Project provides practical support for some of the most impoverished patients across Melbourne’s west – including the entire area covered by the Western Roads Upgrade.

Netflow Western Roads Upgrade CEO Jose Espinosa joined Western Health Foundation Director Julia White and Community Services Manager Cherie Hunter at Footscray Hospital to announce the partnership.

“The Greatest Need Project was established to provide direct assistance to those in our community at risk of falling through the gaps,” Ms White said.

“It’s an innovative program, designed to respond on a patient-by-patient basis to ensure everyone is able to receive the best healthcare for their specific needs. Funding for the program is sourced completely through corporate and individual donations and we are thrilled that Netflow has stepped up as a major contributor to ensure the long-term viability of this program.”

Mr Espinosa said as the Victorian Government’s long-term partner it was crucial Netflow support the community in which it operates.

“We know residents in the west have, on average, lower health outcomes compared to the rest of Melbourne,” Mr Espinosa said.

“Both Netflow and Western Health share the same philosophy of working to benefit the community, so it is a pleasure to be able to help Western Health continue its work in supporting these patients in the community that we both serve.”

The news follows two other 23-year partnerships recently announced by Netflow, partnering with the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation to support newly-arrived migrants and refugees, and partnering with Western Chances to help it continue to provide merit-based scholarships, programs and support to talented young people.

Plenary is financial arranger, joint project sponsor and joint SPV manager for the project, part of the Netflow consortium – also comprising Cintra as joint project sponsor and SPV manager, WBHO Infrastructure as design and construction lead, and the Amey and Broadspectrum joint venture as services contractor – contracted by the Victorian Government to design, build, finance, and maintain the project for 23 years.

About Western Health
Western Health is a leading provider of public healthcare, providing a combination of hospital and community-based services to aged, adult, paediatric and newborn patients across western Melbourne. It is the largest employer in Melbourne’s west with 6,500 employees and 650 volunteers handling around 500,000 patient interactions each year from acute public hospitals and other facilities in Footscray, St Albans, Williamstown and Sunbury, as well as a range of community-based services www.westernhealth.org.au