The new St John of God Berwick Hospital turning of the sod

Construction of the new $120 million St John of God Berwick Hospital was officially launched on Thursday January 21st with a sod-turning ceremony at the Kangan Drive construction site in Berwick.

21 Jan 2016

St John of God Health Care Group CEO Dr Michael Stanford, Generation Healthcare REIT CEO Mr Miles Wentworth, State Member for Gembrook Mr Brad Battin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier and State Labor Member for Narre Warren Judith Graley and St John of God Berwick Hospital CEO Lisa Norman jointly broke ground together.

Construction of the new $120 million St John of God Berwick Hospital has officially begun

The soil on which the hospital will be constructed was be blessed by Father Denis O’Bryan in recognition of the Catholic heritage of St John of God Health Care.

The new St John of God Berwick Hospital will be jointly owned by St John of God Health Care (SJGHC) and Generation Health Care (GHC) but will be operated solely by St John of God Health Care. It will have 210 beds, 8 operating theatres, a cardiac/vascular catheter laboratory, six birthing suites and approximately 350 basement car parks.

SJGBH CEO, Lisa Norman said the launch was a significant event for the large and rapidly expanding communities of Casey and Cardinia which the hospital serves.

"The construction of the new hospital, which is co-located with Monash Health’s Casey hospital, will form part of a major health precinct in Melbourne and take health care in the region to a new level.

"The hospital is expected to be completed in 2017, at which time all existing services provided by SJGBH at its historic Gibb Street site will be relocated to the new hospital.

"The existing Gibb Street campus will be retained and upgraded and will deliver inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services, bringing the total project costs to $150 million.

"The number and range of services will be significantly expanded and it is anticipated that the hospital will play a vital role in providing health care services in Eastern Victoria."

Ms Norman also said that the new expanded hospital would provide approximately 200 more jobs and need more than 100 new doctors once completed.

The construction of the new St John of God Berwick Hospital is stage two of a three-stage project for the site. Builders Hansen Yuncken have been awarded the construction contract and will be onsite for the expected 80 week construction period.

The first stage was the development of a major medical centre, developed and owned by Generation Healthcare REIT, which opened in February 2015, and has become the home of the St John of God Berwick Hospital Day Oncology Centre and St John of God Pathology.

A third stage has been master planned for when the new hospital is at capacity. At completion, St John of God Berwick Hospital will have 12 operating theatres and 316 beds.