NEW health worker accommodations at the Broken Hill Health Service have been completed and the units are now ready to move in to, according to a Ministry of Health spokesperson.
The 20 new units were built as a part of the New South Wales Government’s $45.3 million Key Worker Accommodation Program, with Broken Hill the latest regional site to see works completed as a part of the effort.
Regional Health Minister, Ryan Park, said he hopes the accommodation can mitigate healthcare worker shortages in the region.
“We face a no more critical issue than staffing our healthcare facilities across the state,” he said. “And that challenge is exacerbated in regional, rural and remote communities.
“Working in regional, rural and remote communities is an incredibly rewarding experience, and the provision of accommodation, which is clean, new and close to work is an attractive prospect for people who are thinking about taking up a job in the bush.”
The accommodation building is two storey, with 10 units on each floor, and each is fully furnished and self-contained with a dining area, kitchen, bathroom with ensuite, internal laundry, and screened verandah.
Utility services, furnishing, fencing and landscaping has now been completed, and it’s expected first residents will move in shortly.
The new units could be critical in assisting Broken Hill Health Service’s plans to expand, including the current upgrade of the base hospital’s emergency department, as well as construction of a new acute mental health inpatient unit.
The units were manufactured off-site and transported to the Morgan Street location.
Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, said he was impressed at the quality of the building.
“Broken Hill’s new key worker accommodation units are fantastic,” he said.
“They are well designed and include everything a health worker establishing themselves in the local community would need.”
