Better late than never: Good Friday Appeal funds now heading to Border

The health service announced on Wednesday, February 21, it would receive $250,000 from this year's fundraising efforts for paediatric services.

It comes less than two weeks after Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and appeal chiefs announced a change for the distribution of funds, where $2.5 million generated by the annual fundraiser would be directed to health services based in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Traralgon.

A $500,000 slice of the funds flagged for Shepparton-based Goulburn Valley health will be split with Albury Wodonga Health for paediatric services in the Hume region.

The Border appeared to be a shock omission given Albury-Wodonga raised a combined $221,683 for the Good Friday Appeal in 2023 compared with $199,173 in Ballarat, $116,848 in Geelong, $92,877 in Bendigo, $74,015 in Traralgon and $43,742 in Shepparton.

Corowa-Wahgunyah ($116,830) and Wangaratta ($104,929) were also major contributors to the fundraiser.

Albury Wodonga Health director of midwifery and nursing, women's and children's services Julie Wright said it was disappointing to initially miss out on the support for regional hospitals, but said advocacy from the Victorian Paediatric Clinical Network helped secure the funding.

"We know the cross-border stuff is an issue. It's understanding that Albury Wodonga Health is a Victorian hospital, so it was really having the conversation with the network and the Royal Children's Good Friday Appeal and it's all worked out really positively," she said.

"They (Victorian Paediatric Clinical Network) also pointed out the significance of the work we do in the area. Secondly, it's the donations of community not only across Victoria, but we know in this region, we have very generous contributions from our community that extend from Corowa, Albury-Wodonga and into some of the smaller areas like Tallangatta and Holbrook.

"There was obvious disappointment, but the fact is we're getting money and it's really exciting now to be working with the paediatric team, the doctors, the clinicians, and our wider Albury Wodonga Health staff to ensure this money is spent really wisely and it does make a difference to the children and the families that we provide care for in this region."

The Good Friday Appeal, not the Victorian government, are solely responsible for the decision to allocate fundraising from this year's appeal to the five regional hospitals.

Goulburn Valley Health made the decision to share its funding and provide $250,000 for Albury Wodonga Health.

"Goulburn Valley Health is very grateful for the generous support from the Good Friday Appeal's regional funding initiative, and is excited to partner with the Royal Children's Hospital," a Goulburn Valley Health statement read.

"Goulburn Valley Health is also pleased to be collaborating with Albury Wodonga Health regarding how the funding can best be used to improve access to services for paediatric patients across the Hume region."

Ms Wright said the funds would allow Albury Wodonga Health to support newborns up to 18-year-olds and reduce the need for them to travel to Melbourne for certain care.

Plans are in place to establish a hospital at home program specific to children.

"They might be for example having daily burns dressings or have a chronic illness and we can go and visit them at home and care for them there, which is much more contemporary and a supportive style of caring for our children," Ms Wright said.

"We probably have in order of 5 to 7 per cent of our children that may at some point need to travel to Melbourne. Sometimes it's only for one appointment like an echocardiogram or sleep studies, but that one appointment for mum and dad to take time away from work adds up.

"There might be 50 or 60 children a year we can help there and another 40 or 50 children that might require an echocardiogram that would go to Melbourne. If we have the technology here, we can do that so when the specialist comes to consult, they can actually come up by plane and they can see more children.

"It's certainly a wonderful initiative of the Good Friday Appeal and we look forward to it. I think it's also a wonderful acknowledgement and testament to the very generous giving nature of our community."