Projects

Weipa Integrated Health Services Facility

Client	QLD Health
Value	$45 Million
Role	Project Manager
Key Team Members	Geoff Moore, Terry OSullivan
Practical Completion	December 2008

Project Description

The project involved the construction of a replacement hospital as the original Weipa Hospital had exceeded its use by date.

The precinct concept evolved from a series of “Whole of Health” plans prepared by the Cape York Aboriginal Health Council and was based on a WHO healthy communities model. With this change of emphasis from a typical hospital to a ‘wellness centre’, the project became known as the WEIPA INTEGRATED HEALTH SEVICES FACILITY.

The Weipa Health Facility services a catchment which extends from Mapoon in the north to Aurukun in the south, with a population of approximately 4,000 people of which approximately 45% are indigenous.

The original hospital site also included the outreach and the administrative centre for the Cape York Health Service District (CYHSD). The functions of the hospital site had been expanded over the past decade with additional services being accommodated in a series of demountable buildings which had been acquired and erected in an ad-hoc manner.  Outreach services are also provided at the predominantly indigenous communities of Napranum, Aurukun, Mapoon, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Coen and Pormpuraaw.

The new hospital facility contains primary health care, emergency and medical imaging, day surgery, acute care accommodation, aged care accommodation, mortuary, support services, administration, staff accommodation plus a co-located ambulance service with on-call accommodation.

The project was part of the pilot program to develop the Green Building Council of Australia Green Star rating system for hospitals and became the first hospital in Australia to achieve a 4-star rating.