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The Moorabool News – 22 March, 2022 Page 5
intensive which may use all the funds, and others are smaller projects,” he said. “There is a criteria and the ideas must keep in with our objectives of improving community health and/or aged care outcomes.” At an Association meeting on September 14 last year, Mr McComb said the money had to be donated to another charity. “One option is it could be donated back to mecwacare, with strings attached,” he said. “It could be used then to improve the buildings at Ballan, but it is something for discussion.” Mr McComb said options would be put up at the AGM (Jan 2022) for members to vote on. At the AGM it was decided to put out the call for ideas on how to spend the money and where it should be directed back into the community. Ideas put forward, by the CEO and Board, at the AGM were to possibly provide air-conditioning for the aged care residents, bidets in bathrooms for residents however, it was mentioned that the facility is now owned by mecwacare, “so why should the surplus community money be put back into a facility that is no longer owned locally?” The result of that meeting was to have forthcoming ideas from the community.
Other ideas that have been floated include, but not limited to: • Sponsorship of programs to address specific health issues such as diabetes • Capital Expenditure on equipment to improve community health or aged care • Sponsorship of training or education programs in Community Health or Aged Care Applications will be assessed by the Board and approximately 20 Association Members at a date to be advised. More information can be obtained by contacting James McComb on 0493 158 520, ideas can be sent to PO Box 308 Ballan 3342 Victoria or email: mailbdhc@gmail.com
Community ideas for excess funds By Helen Tatchell The facility was sold last year to another community based non- profit organisation mecwacare, and from the sale there are now excess funds, to the tune of $1.5 million. Ballan District Health Care was a community-based health service that was supported and founded by the community as a not-for-profit organisation over 50 years ago. Ideas are now sought from the BDH&C Board on what to do with those funds. Former CEO of BDH&C James McComb said as the organisation will eventually be wound up, the Board would like to get ideas from the Community, for options for the use of remaining funds of $1.5 million. “The plan is to invest the funds back into the Ballan District, to improve Community Health and Aged Care Health outcomes,” he said. The wind up of BDH&C has resulted in the surplus funds and the outgoing voluntary Board is seeking local public feedback on options to use the funds to support health and aged care in the local community. Mr McComb said the BDH&C Board wants to “ensure the remaining funds are used in the best way for the Ballan District Community.” “There are already ideas from the AGM, and we have already received 5-6 ideas to date and some of those are fairly
There is $1.5 million available for a community health or aged care project/s, after a surplus from the sale of Ballan District Health & Care. Photo by Karen Laårk Boshoff from Pexels
From the BDH&C Board The BDHC Board wishes to acknowledge the wonderful generosity and support of the local district community and volunteers over the last 52 years; that created the great community health and aged care facilities here in Ballan that will be able to be used for future generations. The decision to sell BDHC was a difficult one. However, after several years of operating deficits and reviews of options to secure future health services in Ballan, in consultation with and with further financial support of both the state and federal Government; the business was sold to a larger community health and aged care provider mecwacare last December. BDHC had experienced a situation all-too-familiar in regional towns, where the smaller scale of our operations has combined with a tougher regulatory environment to make services financially unviable. As the Community Health and Aged Care Services role in the community is highly valued, BDHC sought expressions of interest to find another operator with the scale, experience and capital to give our services a long-term future. Had the BDHC Board not followed this course of action; the former BDHC Community Health and Aged Care complex would have closed by December 2022, aged care residents transferred to other facilities and all 130 staff made redundant.