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A helping hand for patients in need
Recognising that many of our patients need additional support beyond what we as a health service can provide, The Western Health Foundation has launched a major appeal.
Through the Greatest Need Project, we have identified the gaps of support for some of our most vulnerable patients in the immediate hours and days following their discharge from hospital, and we are acting to fill those gaps.
We are asking our community to support the Greatest Need Fund, with all donations providing practical support for some of our most vulnerable patients.
If you would like to support the Greatest Need Project, please click here.
We estimate that as many as 10,000 of the patients we care for each year struggle to meet their most basic needs. While it's not possible to meet the needs of all these patients, through this Appeal we are aiming to raised funds to reach out to more patients who need our help.
Sometimes life can take a turn for the worse; one problem can roll into another and become overwhelming, leaving people at their most vulnerable.
Three days after giving birth at Sunshine Hospital, a new mum and her infant daughter were ready to be discharged. When the midwife asked where the car seat was, the mum said she couldn't afford one.
The midwife organised for one to be hired, only to then find that the mum and her daughter were actually homeless, and were being discharged to the family's car.
The family had recently defaulted on their mortgage, lost their home, and were living in their car on the side of the road.
Staff arranged crisis accommodation for the family, and paid for the car seat.
It is in circumstances like these that we see some of the Greatest Need and our staff feel compelled to do whatever they can to help – down to paying for items out of their own pockets, so we've worked with them to set up a fund which they can use to support patients who need urgent help.
Our staff are always humbled at how little needs to be done to make a difference for one patient, one family.
We would love to be able to address all of the needs of our patients, but we simply cannot.
To donate, please click here.
To learn more about the Greatest Need Project, please contact the Western Health Foundation on (03) 8345 7660 or [email protected]
