Cancer patients travelling to Shepparton for treatment have a new, low-cost accommodation option, to make it easier to get the medical care they need.
Australian charity Fight Cancer Foundation has opened the refurbished, four-bedroom house directly opposite Goulburn Valley Health in Dunlop St, offering somewhere for patients and their carers to stay.
Foundation managing director Eric Wright said he expected it would become a haven for cancer patients requiring ongoing treatment.
Shepparton House is one of four centres the foundation is operating, with other sites in Melbourne, Hobart and Albury.
“Our accommodation centres make a real difference to families and are conducive to improved recovery and mental wellbeing during harrowing treatment regimes,” Mr Wright said.
“Patients and their carers can stay in our affordable and comfortable accommodation, relieving them of undue financial stress and the stress of constant travel.”
Mr Wright said there would be a small out-of-pocket fee on top of the government subsidy amount to stay at the accommodation centre.
He said it was the first of its kind in Shepparton, with the need for it only coming recently with the presence of the Peter Copulos Cancer and Wellness Centre and GenesisCare meaning more people were seeking treatment in town.
For day patients needing somewhere to rest between morning and afternoon treatment sessions, the centre offers a place to relax, watch television and have a hot drink.
The house has been leased from Family Care for three years and has been fully furnished to “feel like home”.
The catchment area covers about 100km from central Shepparton. For more information, contact house manager Peter Thompson on 0493 367 036.