The facts are stark. Victoria has six designated regional public health services. Five of them have an Integrated Cancer Centre. GV Health does not. That is not a gap in a spreadsheet — it is a gap in care for real people, our families and friends facing some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Demand is only growing. In the past four years, treatments at GV Health's Oncology Unit surged an astonishing 54 per cent. Rising cancer rates, a strong local preference for care close to home, and metropolitan hospitals redirecting patients back to the Goulburn Valley have combined to push existing facilities well beyond what they were ever designed to handle.
The Federal Government has committed $30 million for Stage 1 of the Integrated Cancer Centre, with construction due to begin in 2027. That is welcome news. But Stage 1 alone won't complete the picture. The $90 million needed for Stage 2 — which would bring all services, including on-site radiation therapy, under one roof — is not yet secured. Without it, patients must continue travelling to external providers for treatment that should be available here.
The GV Health Foundation is raising $5 million from the community to demonstrate, loudly and clearly, that this region demands better. That campaign is already moving — the Copulos Family Foundation has generously committed $1 million — but there is a long road ahead.
Every donation matters, not only as a dollar figure but as a statement. A statement that Goulburn Valley families deserve the same standard of cancer care as anyone else in regional Victoria. That distance and circumstance should not determine outcomes. That this community stands together when it counts.
We urge businesses, community groups and individuals to give what they can. As part of our support, we will be running personal stories each week, and keeping you informed of progress in the appeal.
Donations can be made at gvhealthfoundation.org.au or by contacting Amy De Paola at amy.depaola@gvhealth.org.au
