Regional Victoria | Good Friday Appeal

Good Friday Appeal Launches Regional Funding Initiative

The Good Friday Appeal is taking The Royal Children’s Hospital excellence into the regions to support regional paediatric health services – Barwon Health, Bendigo Health, Grampians Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Albury Wodonga Health and Latrobe Regional Health.

For the first time in the Good Friday Appeal’s history, funding will help take the RCH excellence into the regions to support training, scholarships and state of the art equipment. This important investment will improve the experience and outcomes of children receiving care in regional settings, keep children closer to home and increase capability in the regions, making the pathway to specialist care easier.

A key goal of the RCH is to create a truly integrated paediatric service system, where health services learn from each other and share expertise and knowledge and this funding will help to achieve this goal.

“Thank you to the incredible Good Friday Appeal community for supporting sick kids at The Royal Children’s Hospital for the past 93 years. For the first time in our history, we are thrilled to be using a portion of the Good Friday Appeal funds to take the RCH excellence into the regions to help kids receive care closer to home, build capability and capacity of paediatric health services across the State. Thank you to the community for your incredible fundraising efforts to make this happen,” Penny Fowler AM, Chairman of the Good Friday Appeal.

“We are grateful to the 206 Area Managers who generously lead and coordinate all fundraising activities in regional areas, many who are from the CFA, as well as the large number of regional businesses and organisations, families and individuals who get involved across the state and beyond. We are thrilled to be providing this important funding to help regional hospitals and The Royal Children’s Hospital to achieve their goals of improving health outcomes for sick kids and their families all over Victoria” said Rebecca Cowan, Executive Director Good Friday Appeal.

Regional funding areas

Barwon South West – Barwon Health

From saving babies’ lives thanks to resuscitation training and new video equipment, and increasing patient care and outcomes by using specialised ultrasounds, to upskilling nursing staff in response to a surge in eating disorders, funding will support critically ill children and young people of all ages across the Barwon area. Read more

Gippsland – Latrobe Regional Hospital

From upskilling staff to create Gippsland’s first neurodevelopment outpatients’ clinic, and purchasing new equipment to detect and manage eye disease, through to increasing the capability of nursing staff by purchasing specialised training equipment and offering RCH secondments, funding will change and save the lives of Gippsland children, in particular by allowing early detection and management of a range of conditions. Read more

Grampians – Grampians Health Care

Providing care for a catchment area of 250,000 people, Grampians Health requires new state-of-the-art resuscitation, ultrasound and anaesthesia equipment to continue to provide the best care locally for women and babies with high-risk health needs. Read more

Loddon Mallee – Bendigo Health

From building an all abilities kids rehab play space co-designed by clinicians and patients, to prioritising learning and development initiatives across nursing, allied health and intensive care, new funding will foster fun and creative play as an enabler of improved patient experiences and outcomes, while also helping to attract and retain highly qualified staff across the Loddon Mallee region. Read more

Hume – Goulburn Valley Health and Albury Wodonga Health

Funding will enable children to receive highly-specialised, life-saving respiratory care within the Goulburn Valley. It will create two part-time emergency nurse practitioner roles, support scholarships, and upskill staff delivering Hospital in the Home care, thereby keeping more children out of hospital, and servicing increased demand. At Albury Wodonga Health the funding will establish a Paediatric Hospital In The Home Program, invest in advanced medical equipment including an ultrasound machine for paediatric echocardiograms and a polysomnograph for sleep studies. Read more

Regional funding

This new regional funding plays a critical role in building the capability and capacity of health services across the state. The aim is to increase the number of children and young people who can receive high quality care closer to their home, making the pathway to specialist care easier. From nursing scholarships to capital expenditure, this investment will go some way to strengthening these services and their invaluable work delivering health care to children, young people, and families living in regional and rural Victoria. Read more

Thank you to Regional Victorians

The impact of regional Victoria on the Good Friday Appeal is nothing short of extraordinary, these communities play a pivotal role in the heart and soul of the Appeal. Year after year, the collective passion and dedication from regional areas contribute significantly to the Appeal. It is through the collaboration and support of these vibrant communities that the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) has been able to help more sick kids across Australia, making a lasting and positive impact on the lives of countless children.

“We would like to acknowledge our 200 dedicated Area Managers and key fundraising partners such as the CFA, Uncle Bobs Club, RCH Auxiliaries, Lions, Rotary, and other committees. Along with our wonderful Volunteers, they have been running fundraisers, shaking tins and door knocking across the state and beyond for many years. Your commitment is truly inspiring,” Rebecca Cowan, Good Friday Appeal Executive Director.

Thank you to regional Victorians who raised a remarkable $4,600,000 for the 2023 Good Friday Appeal.

Regional Fundraising Guide

If you are living in regional Victoria and thinking of fundraising, check out our Fundraising Guide for regional activity ideas and advice Read guide

Regional Volunteering and Fundraising

Did you know we have over 200 Area Managers across Victoria who coordinate fundraising in their towns? If you would like to find out more or know someone who might be interested, let us know Find out more

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We would love to hear how The Royal Children’s Hospital has touched your life or the life of someone close to you, as well as stories from our incredible fundraisers and volunteers across regional Victoria. Share now