Ballarat Community Health's newest clinic in Wendouree is a welcoming oasis of calm and colour.
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The organisation's seventh site opens to the public on Monday with a GP clinic and allied health services including podiatry, counselling and dietetics.
BCH has had a presence in Wendouree for many years at the Cooinda Centre on the corner of Gillies and Howitt streets, but with the ageing building in need of refurbishment and too small for the number of clients coming in, a decision was made to look for new premises.
Once the new clinic at 1042 Howitt St is bedded in, the Cooinda Centre will be renovated to become a mental health services hub.
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Ballarat Community Health chief executive Sean Duffy said the clinic was a welcome boost for Wendouree, bringing expert healthcare to the area.
"Ballarat is a growing city with a need for professional and affordable healthcare options. The Wendouree community will have greater access to GPs and other health professionals with the opening of this new clinic.'"
There are plans to forge a network with other health care groups in the burgeoning medical precinct so clients can be referred to other services within a short walk.
The new clinic has been custom-fitted and developed to create a safe and welcoming space for people from all backgrounds.
Mr Duffy said access was the greatest barrier to people achieving optimum health and wellbeing."Affordable healthcare is now more accessible for the people of Wendouree and greater Ballarat," he said.
Colour and greenery are right through the clinic with a goal to create a bright, friendly and welcoming clinic where people feel at home. Artwork on the walls features local landscapes and stunning portraits of BCH clients, while the clinicians who will work in the consulting rooms helped design the spaces.
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BCH spokeswoman Lisa Spurr said the service aimed to take away as many barriers to health care as possible for the wider Ballarat population.
Up to two GPs and four to five allied health professionals will work from the centre in its early stages, with room to grow if there is need. BCH sees more than 1000 people a day across its seven sites and expects to see several hundred a day at the new clinic.
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