Cr David Longley, Dr Antoinette Del Popolo, Dr Michael Love and Dr Wafa Ismail at Redgum Howlong.
Redgum Medical Group proudly opened its doors in Howlong earlier this week, marking the beginning of a new era in healthcare for the community.
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The official opening ceremony, held on Monday, was attended by Redgum Practice Principal Dr Antoinette Del Popolo, Dr Michael Love, Federation Council representatives Cr David Longley, and General Manager Adrian Butler and local community representatives.
Dr Antoinette expressed her gratitude to the attendees and warmly welcomed them to the opening, acknowledging the hard work and dedication that went into establishing Redgum Medical Howlong, a process that spanned twelve months but was successfully completed in the past couple of months.
“We are very happy to have Redgum Howlong come under our care,” she said.
“At Corowa we have a large team of doctors, nurses, allied health, and admin staff that work in the practice. We also have a practice in Rutherglen, and we have a skin clinic in Corowa which we also opened in the last 18 months.”
Dr Antoinette also expressed her appreciation for Dr Wafa Ismail, who will now be working under the Redgum umbrella.
“Dr Wafa has been providing an incredible service to the people of Howlong for a number of years now,” Dr Antoinette said.
Cr David Longley and Dr Antoinette Del Popolo cut the ribbon to officially open the new facility.
“We are looking to get a few more doctors to work here with her.
“As we all know, there’s a doctor shortage everywhere, particularly in rural areas, but we have been working very hard to recruit a number of doctors.
“We’ve been quite successful- we have a doctor starting at the beginning of August and hopefully another three or four over the next few months. Hopefully one of those will be full time in Howlong with Dr Wafa.”
Continuing their commitment to comprehensive healthcare, Redgum Medical Group will focus on chronic disease management, with plans to reintroduce pathology services on-site in the next month. The goal is to improve accessibility and provide quality care to the cross-border region of Corowa, Rutherglen, and Howlong.
The collaboration between Redgum Medical Group and the Federation Council was commended by Cr David Longley, who described the new medical centre as a “fantastic asset” for Howlong.
Cr Longley congratulated Redgum on their achievement.
General Manager Adrian Butler echoed this sentiment, referring to the establishment of Redgum Medical Group in Howlong as “a phenomenal accomplishment for the community”.
With renovations now complete Redgum Medical Group-operated Howlong Medical Centre is ready to serve the community. Offering an upgraded facility and an expanded range of services, Redgum Medical aims to meet the healthcare needs of the Howlong residents.
Practice Manager Kristen Mann expressed her excitement, highlighting that Redgum Medical Group's fourth practice in Howlong would provide locals with access to skilled clinicians and allied health professionals.
“Howlong residents will no longer have to travel to see a podiatrist, family nurses, or doctors specialising in antenatal care, as we’re offering these services right here in town,” she said.
“We’re deeply committed to the health and wellbeing of our local community, and while some consultations may have an out-of-pocket expense, this allows us to deliver the high level of care our local residents deserve. Rest assured; we are working diligently to keep these costs as affordable as possible.”
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