Nearly 800 visitors turned up to the community open day at the new Byron Central Hospital at Ewingsdale on Saturday 9 April, availing themselves of the opportunity to tour the $88 million facility before it opens in May.
The guided half-hour tours included the inpatient ward, the well equipped Emergency Department, non-acute inpatient mental health unit and ambulatory care consult rooms and clinic spaces.
Byron Central Hospital was funded by the NSW Government, and the project was overseen by Health Infrastructure NSW. Construction work began in late 2014 and was largely completed within a year, ahead of schedule.
Currently, the NNSW Local Health District is engaged in the commissioning process, ensuring that all systems are working as intended and staff are fully orientated to their new workspaces.
The hospital opening will herald the closure of the district hospitals in Byron Bay and Mullumbimby, and the centralising of the community health and community nursing services now provided at Bangalow, Ocean Shores and Brunswick Heads.
Areas of particular interest to visitors included the Suzanne Jamieson maternity unit - named in honour of a generous benefactor who funded the original birthing unit at Mullumbimby - with large birthing baths in its three suites, and the top-end imaging equipment, including a one million dollar CT scanner.
The open day was a good test for on-site parking capacity, often an issue for hospitals. Despite the high demand, Byron Central Hospital passed with flying colours - it has 195 car spaces, and additional spaces for bikes and motorcycles.
