St John of God Health Care
St John of God Health Care is Australia's third largest private hospital operator, with 13 hospitals and facilities in the states of Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, as well as service in New Zealand.[1]
In June 2012, St John of God Health Care secured a 23-year contract with the Western Australian State Government to build and operate the $360 million Midland Health Campus - Perth’s next major public hospital.[2]
History
St John of God Health Care Inc is a wholly owned and controlled entity of St John of God Australia Ltd, established in 2004 to sponsor the ministry that until then was run solely by the Sisters of St John of God.[3]
The congregation of the Sisters of St John of God was founded in 1871 in Wexford, Ireland. In 1895, Perth’s Bishop Matthew Gibney sent a request to the Sisters for help to care for people suffering from typhoid during the 1890s Gold Rush.[4]
The Sisters of St John of God went on to establish hospitals, pathology and social outreach services in Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.[5]
In 2007, St John of God Health Care merged with the services previously operated by the Hospitaller Order of St John of God in Victoria, New South Wales and New Zealand.[6]
Pomegranate symbol
The symbol used by St John of God Health Care is a cross with a pomegranate.[7] The cross symbolises the Christian heritage of the organisation; the pomegranate, which is open to allow the seeds to scatter, symbolises self-giving and represents the organisation's values.[8]
The pomegranate symbol was chosen by the Sisters of St John of God to reflect the order’s patron Saint, John of God, who ministered to the sick and poor in the Spanish town of Granada – ‘pomegranate’ in Spanish – in the early 16th century.[9]
Services
St John of God Health Care operates private hospitals, as well as pathology, home nursing and Social Outreach & Advocacy services.
Locations
St John of God operates nine medical/surgical, one rehabilitation and three psychiatric, drug and alcohol service hospitals, and pathology services across Australia. It also operates home nursing services in Western Australia and Victoria and supported residential facilities for people living with a disability in Victoria and New Zealand.[10]
Australia
New South Wales
- St John of God Burwood Hospital - an 86-bed psychiatric and drug and alcohol hospital.
- St John of God Richmond Hospital - an 88-bed psychiatric and drug and alcohol hospital.
Victoria
- St John of God Ballarat Hospital
- St John of God Bendigo Hospital
- St John of God Berwick Hospital
- St John of God Geelong Hospital
- St John of God Warrnambool Hospital
- St John of God Pinelodge Clinic - a psychiatric and drug and alcohol service hospital.
- St John of God Frankston Rehabilitation Hospital - a physical rehabilitation hospital.
Western Australia
- St John of God Bunbury Hospital
- St John of God Geraldton Hospital
- St John of God Murdoch Hospital
- St John of God Subiaco Hospital
New Zealand
- St John of God Halswell - a 51-bed facility residential and respite support service and three community homes for people with acquired brain injuries, physical and neurological disabilities.
- St John of God Wellington - a 36-bed residential care facility for people with physical disabilities.
Social Outreach and Advocacy
St John of God Health Care operates a number of social outreach and advocacy programs, including:
- St John of God Accord - disability support services ranging from day respite, to group housing and employment support.[11]
- Strong Family, Strong Culture - Aboriginal pre- and peri-natal health services.[12]
- Horizon Houses - accommodation for young people aged 16–22 who would not otherwise have stable living environments.[13]
- Raphael Centres - support for new parents affected by anxiety or depression.[14]
- Nursing and Pathology Development in East Timor – a project that aims to help improve local nursing and pathology practices and capacity.[15]
- Tonga Twinning Project – a project that offers support, equipment and education to Vaiola Hospital in Tonga.[16]
- Waipuna – a youth service in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The St John of God Foundation
The fundraising arm of St John of God Health Care is the St John of God Foundation, established in 1994 by the Sisters of St John of God. In February 2010, the Foundation was integrated into St John of God Health Care.[17]
The Foundation works to raise funds in response to the needs of people and communities that are not met by traditional means or government funding.[18]
See also
References
- ↑ "St John of God Annual Report 2009/10" (Press release). St John of God Health Care Inc. October 2010.
- ↑ St John of God, "Green Light for Midland hospital", 14 June 2012
- ↑ St John of God Health Care, "Governance", Retrieved 2011-02-28
- ↑ Sisters of St John of God, "Our Founding Story", Retrieved 2011-02-28
- ↑ St John of God Health Care, "History", Retrieved 2011-02-28
- ↑ St John of God Health Care, "Annual Report 2007-2008", pp.2, Retrieved 2011-02-14
- ↑ Bronwyn Hughes (2009), "Shining Lights Ethereal Visions", Frankston City Council, pp.23, Retrieved 2011-02-25
- ↑ St John of God Health Care, "Annual Report 2007-2008", pp.2, Retrieved 2011-02-14
- ↑ Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, "St John of God", Kairos: Volume 21, Issue 03, Retrieved 2011-02-27
- ↑ St John of God Health Care, "Hospitals", Retrieved 2011-02-25
- ↑ Disability News (2008-08-12), "Imaging Better Together", Retrieved 2011-02-25
- ↑ Australia Indigenous HealthInfoNet, "Strong Family, Strong Culture Program", Retrieved 2011-02-28
- ↑ St John of God Health Care, "Horizon Houses gear up for the Great Bike Ride", Press release, Retrieved 2011-02-25
- ↑ Department of Health, "Perinatal Emotional Health and Wellbeing Community Support and Resources", pp. 2. Retrieved 2011-02-23
- ↑ St John of God Health Care, "Asia-Pacific Neighbours", Retrieved 2011-02-28
- ↑ St John of God Hospital Ballarat, "Tonga Twinning Program", Retrieved 2011-02-28
- ↑ Sisters of St John of God, "St John of God Foundation", Retrieved 2011-02-28
- ↑ Sisters of St John of God, "St John of God Foundation", Retrieved 2011-02-28