West Belconnen Health Co-op to open two new medical clinics

23 October 2013

West Belconnen Health Co-op is pleased to announce that it will be opening two new fully bulk-billing medical clinics at Kippax Fair and Evatt shops before the end of this year.

These two new clinics are part of the natural growth of the Co-op and its membership base in Belconnen, and has been greatly assisted by an exciting new partnership between the Co-op and the Bendigo Community Bank. The two organisations will support each other’s goals and operations into the future, initially focused on Tuggeranong and Belconnen.

The new medical clinics at Kippax and Evatt are in addition to the recently-announced new clinic at Chisholm – the first to service the Tuggeranong community. The Chisholm clinic has been made possible by an ACT Government capital grant and a major grant from the Bendigo Community Bank, which operates Tuggeranong branches at Wanniassa and Calwell. No government grants have been obtained for the opening of the Kippax and Evatt sites.

“The Co-op is keen to support suburbs where there is a shortage of low cost local doctors, and we greatly value our new partnership with the Bendigo Bank which is helping us open in two areas of need, Kippax and Evatt”, said Co-op Chair Michael Pilbrow.

Bendigo Bank Chair, Jayson Hinder, is very excited to be able to support the community with both their banking and their health: “When we looked around the ACT at possible organisations to support and partner with as part of our 10th Anniversary, the West Belconnen Health Co-op was an obvious choice – our two organisations have a lot in common and together we can do great things for the community”.

The Health Co-op is a fully community owned and professionally operated Canberra non-profit community organisation, which now provides general practice medical services to 15,000 Canberrans across 4 clinics. Members pay a low annual fee which gives access to bulk billed medical appointments with the doctor of the patient’s choice.

By early 2013 the Co-op expects to have brought over 20 new doctors to Canberra and to be providing family friendly bulk-billing GP services to 25,000 Canberrans through seven clinics.

Source: West Belconnen Health Co-op