Category Archives: Hartley House

Hospital Parking & Access Roads Upgrade project

Parking facilities at the hospital are currently undergoing a substantial, multi-million dollar upgrade which is scheduled to finish late in September 2020. The works will provide the hospital with 52 additional car park spaces, and 8 accessible parking spaces, improve the traffic and pedestrian flow and improve staff and patient safety.

The Hartley House Car Park has been re-designed and re-paved, resulting in additional parking spaces for visitors and staff.  The Main Car Park and “Tennis Court” car park are being brought to the same level and merged, resulting in a further increase in parking spaces (and a wonderful view of the mountains).  The roundabout, which prevented large vehicles from entering the hospital has been removed, and the access road will be re-paved.  Several new walkways have been constructed allowing easier inter-building access.

BHAG was pleased to have been invited to participate in the planning process by MNCLHD.
As a result we have been able to work co-operatively with the hospital and the earthworks company AJ Civil Projects throughout the project.

In addition to the earthworks, weed trees have been removed, wood much has been made available to the volunteer gardeners, several mature Elkhorn and Staghorn ferns have been relocated to the Hewitt Arboretum, the entrance to the arboretum has been cleared and mulched, and the time capsule which was located in the old roundabout has been preserved for later installation at the entrance to the main hospital building.

BHAG looks forward to continued co-operation with the Mid North Coast Local Health District on future upgrading and improvements to the Bellinger River District Hospital.

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Solar Hot Water celebration …

Solar Hot Water Hospital

On Wednesday 10th June, Bellingen Hospital held a morning tea to celebrate the installation of a solar hot water system for Hartley House, and to thank the members of the community responsible for pushing the project to completion.

You can read a potted history of the 9 year battle to install solar hot water at Bellingen Hospital by clicking on the link below …

Solar Hot Water Bellingen Hospital History

And you can read Barb Moore’s celebration speech to see who contributed to the success of this project …

Barb’s presentation Solar Hot Water Celebration

This is another great day for the Bellingen community!

 

Hartley House Outdoor Room makeover

The High School students who re-vamped the Hartley House outdoor area

The High School students who re-vamped the Hartley House outdoor area

Over the past 6 months the Bellinger Health Action Group (BHAG) volunteer gardening group have been re-vamping the outdoor area of Hartley House. This is a covered & uncovered area overlooking the Arboretum where patients can be moved to breathe some fresh air, enjoy the sun & wildlife, socialise with each other, their friends & family & participate in weekly BBQ’s that the staff organise – a real home away from home in an ‘outdoor room’.

The overgrown gardens have been weeded, pruned & re-planted. The outdoor concrete & step/ ramp areas have been water pressure cleaned & the brass commemorative plaques dating back to 1978 re-polished & lacquered. A BBQ & outdoor furniture was purchased by the hospital & terracotta planter boxes filled with flowering plants.

One of the BHAG volunteers had a vision that the ugly brick wall adjacent to this outdoor area needed a facelift. Jodie approached the high school and with great enthusiasm a small number of Bellingen High School students undertook a project late last year to design & make a selection of beautiful & striking wall hung mosaics under the guidance of Lynda Dalton & their teacher Fiona McAulay. With the encouragement from their principal Bob Stockton and the support by the hospital this project proceeded.

Before the mosaics could be hung it was agreed that the ugly brick wall had to be painted in an appropriate colour to showcase the artwork. Bellingen Rotary Club volunteered their labour to assist the BHAG gardening group to paint the wall over two days & the Coffs Harbour Dulux store donated the paint.

In the meantime the Bellingen Men’s Shed built two timber frames to house two twin concrete laundry tubs. They are at two different heights so that patients either standing or in wheelchairs can access them to grow & nurture herbs etc.

On Monday 13th February we all came together to celebrate this community based project with a breakfast BBQ in the re-vamped ‘Outdoor Room’.

Without the assistance & cooperation of everyone involved this project could not have proceeded. Thank you to everyone involved.

Next time you visit the hospital wander up the walkway to Hartley House & view the work that has been done by your community. You will not be disappointed.

Barbara Moore (Vice Chair BHAG)