12 July 2011

New ambulance station for Nelson Bay

The Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner, today officially opened the new $2.1 million Nelson Bay Ambulance Station.

“Medical retrieval is critical to providing timely quality health care, and our hard-working paramedics deserve infrastructure that allows them to deliver the best patient outcomes,” Minister Skinner said.

“In an emergency, paramedics are often first on the scene and play a vital role in getting patients timely treatment,” she said.

“I have campaigned for years with the Member for Port Stephens, Craig Baumann, for a new station at Nelson Bay and it’s great to see it up and running.”

The station caters for 15 paramedics and four ambulances. It features solar hot water, solar power, and uses harvested rain water for toilets and the washing of vehicles.

It also has:

>         a modern staff room;

>         a training/meeting room;

>         staff kitchen and lounge;

>         a study-room;

>         office accommodation;

>         male and female locker facilities, and;

>         secure undercover parking.

Nelson Bay Ambulance station was included in the award-winning trial of pre-hospital thrombolysis and its staff has been paramount in demonstrating how paramedics can deliver this life-saving medication.

Mr Baumann said he was delighted that Minister Skinner could open the new station.

“Paramedics in Nelson Bay have been proudly serving the community for over 40 years and it’s fantastic to see them benefit from a brand new station.

“While the original station operated in daylight only, paramedics provide 24 hour coverage and respond to over 4,200 incidents per year,” he said.

“I commend the Nelson Bay paramedics on the dedicated service they provide.”