Hospitals

Calvary Kogorah patients and families benefit from palliative care refurbishments

Patients, families and carers are benefiting from a $1.79m refurbishment to palliative care facilities at Calvary Health Care Kogarah, a specialist palliative care and rehabilitation hospital within the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District and servicing St George and Sutherland Shire. This project was in part supported by a $305,000

Blue Plaque commemorates Sisters’ lasting legacy

A special Blue Plaque commemorating the lasting legacy and stewardship of the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary in Wagga Wagga has been officially unveiled at Calvary Riverina Hospital. The Heritage NSW Blue Plaque recognises the Sisters, who established a hospital in 1926 at Wagga Wagga’s Foxborough Hall. It

The heart of the Mater

Let’s hear it for Calvary Mater Newcastle’s 2022 Mary Potter Award winner, David Millington, Support Services Supervisor. When David was announced as the winner at the 2022 Celebration of Service, held on Thursday 17 November, a massive applause echoed throughout the Mater Lecture Theatre and many an eye was dabbed

A time to Grieve

The Grieve project is celebrating 10 years. What began as a writing and live reading activity for members of the Hunter Writers Centre has now become a national writing competition which attracts hundreds of entries every year. Entries are called for in August, Grief Awareness month, and in November awards

The Mater was in his corner!

For siblings Darren and Kelly Turner, the care their father received at Calvary Mater Newcastle following a diagnosis of melanoma, had a lasting impact on them both. It was with this care and attention in mind, following the sad death of their father John in October 2021, the siblings decided

Quality in Retreat – Reigniting the Debate on Quality

As a member of the Global Impact Committee (GIC), I am pleased to share our first report, Quality in Retreat – Reigniting the Debate on Quality. The GIC leads thought leadership programs to promote the priority of quality in health care aimed at senior leaders of health care systems, politicians

A DYNAMIC Trial

Tumour DNA technology provides effective pathway to colon cancer treatment Congratulations to the Calvary Mater Newcastle Medical Oncology team, who provided a prominent leadership role in a successful cancer clinical trial that was published in one of the world’s leading medical journals, the New England Journal of Medicine. The DYNAMIC

Enriching lives, one song at a time

A special choir in suburban Melbourne is helping people living with Huntington’s Disease find their voice and enrich their lives, one song at a time. Run by Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, the Enrich choir brings joy, provides therapeutic and social benefits, and helps enable participants to live their best lives.

Acknowledging the importance of Anzac Day

Anzac Day falls on 25 April each year, commemorating the lives of all Australians who have served their country in times of war, including our own Leslie Hughes, a resident at Calvary Rye Sands on the Mornington Peninsula.

Calvary Mater Newcastle turns 100

On Friday 25 March, Calvary Mater Newcastle kick-started a year of celebrations to mark its 100-year history. Opening its doors in 1922, the Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital was founded and administered by the Sisters of Mercy from their Mother House in Singleton. These Sisters were originally from Ennis, Ireland. From

A GOLD feather in our cap

Through the dedication of Associate Professor Aaron Sverdlov, Clinical Lead and Research Co-Director, Hunter New England Local Health District; and Associate Professor Doan Ngo, Co-Director and Research Lead; the Newcastle Cardio-Oncology Program (a collaboration between Calvary Mater Newcastle, HMRI, HNELHD and the University of Newcastle) has been designated a Center

Dr Pam Harrison recognised in Australia Day Honours

Congratulations to Dr Pam Harrison who was awarded an OAM in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for her contribution to palliative care and community history. A simple phrase that belies the extensive contribution of Pam to the Mater and the Hunter community! Pam has dedicated her life to improving health

Kindness Works Here

Staff at Calvary Mater Newcastle were invited to think about kindness. What it means to them and its power to change a situation, emotions, thoughts and ways of looking at the world. Kindness really does matter and when motivated by compassion can make all the difference. Staff throughout the hospital

Join our live stream!

Join our live broadcast with the 7HOFM team in our new Deluxe Maternity Suite live. Find out who in the 7HOFM team is a Calvary baby and tune in to hear from our local hospital management and staff throughout the broadcast.

Celebrating the achievements of our Auxiliary

Usually by this time of the year we would have celebrated the wonderful achievements of our Calvary Mater Newcastle Auxiliary. Despite the pandemic and its challenges, our enthusiastic and highly dedicated Auxiliary members managed to raise a grand total of $170,084.13 for the 2020-21 financial year – a staggering achievement.

Care to Quit

Staff at Calvary Mater Newcastle are leading the way in helping oncology patients quit smoking through participation in the Care to Quit trial, led by Professor Christine Paul from the University of Newcastle. The enthusiastic Calvary Mater Newcastle Care to Quit leadership team consists of Dr Fiona Day, Dr Tin

National COVID-19 Bereavement Project

Would you like to help improve access to bereavement support during COVID-19? As businesses and cities open up again, we are being told that life is getting back to ‘normal’, but for people who have experienced a death during COVID-19, there is no back to normal. Calvary and researchers at

Dying to Know Day

Dying to Know Day is part of an annual campaign that aims to remove the stigma from the topic of death. Sunday, August 8, is one day of the year when the taboo is suspended and people are encouraged to ask questions, have conversations, express feelings, and make plans.

Cancer research gets $7 million boost in NSW regions

Congratulations to Dr Craig Gedye, Medical Oncology Senior Staff Specialist, who is Chief Investigator of a cancer research capacity building grant that has recently been awarded a $7 million investment to the NSW Regional Health Partners. People living with cancer and the health care professionals caring for them are set

Targeted Success

A collaboration between the Department of Radiation Oncology at Calvary Mater Newcastle and the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Hunter New England Local Health District has resulted in clinical trial success. Prof Jarad Martin, Radiation Oncology Senior Staff Specialist, and Dr Natalie Rutherford, Clinical Director of Nuclear Medicine, were part

A lasting legacy

After an extraordinary 22 years of fundraising for oncology researchers at the Mater, the Coalfields Cancer Support Group has decided the time is right to call time on their fundraising. To recognise this remarkable group of fundraisers the hospital held a thank you morning tea at East Cessnock Bowling Club

Calvary enters due diligence with Japara

Calvary has entered confirmatory due diligence with Japara Healthcare Ltd following a decision by Japara’s Board to allow access for Calvary to develop a binding proposal the board can recommend to its shareholders. The Revised Indicative Proposal proposes the acquisition of 100% of the shares by Calvary in Japara by

Rita’s last wish

For horsewoman Rita Meredith (nee Browning) ‘dreams really do come true’ as Rita’s last wish “to smell and see a horse one last time” was granted on a very special day at Calvary Mater Newcastle’s Hospice on Tuesday 9 March 2021. Rita’s family, friends, Hospice staff, and NSW Mounted Police,

Variety and job satisfaction

To round up Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Deb Smith, who is a Registered Nurse on Ward 4B and Stomal Therapist/Wound Clinical Nurse Specialist. Explain what your role entails… My role as the Stomal Therapist/Wound Clinical Nurse Specialist involves educating

Always something new to learn

This month, as part of Calvary Mater Newcastle’s celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Laura Healey, who is a newly qualified Nurse Practitioner, Medical Oncology. What is a Nurse Practitioner? Nurse Practitioners are registered nurses that have studied further and completed a Master’s Degree

Calendar Girls

Researchers Jennette Sakoff and Jayne Gilbert from our Medical Oncology Research (MOR) Laboratory welcomed some special Calendar Girls who recently starred on A Current Affair. Beryl Yates and Lyndal Little, otherwise known as Miss January and Miss December, are part of a group of mature aged women from Signature Gardens

Hunter Trial Units Success

Congratulations to the Hunter New England Cancer Clinical Research Network (CCRN) who was named the winner of the 2020 NSW Premier’s Award for Outstanding Clinical Trials Unit in late November. The CCRN was recognised for its tenacious efforts to connect people to important, life-changing cancer trials and rewarded for its

Mary Potter Day 2020

Celebrating and recognising achievements of our staff was carried out a little differently this year due to COVID-19. However, we were able to congratulate three exceptional staff members who were nominated by their peers for the Mary Potter Award. The purpose of the Mary Potter Award is to recognise staff

Leading and mentoring

This month, as part of our celebration of the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we meet Kate Donovan Clinical Nurse Specialist, Ward 4C Medical/Toxicology. What is a clinical nurse specialist? A clinical nurse specialist is a nurse who demonstrates an advanced level of knowledge and skills in a

Auxiliary Members – Thank you

Every year Calvary Mater Newcastle celebrates the fundraising achievements of our Auxiliary members for the past financial year through the Auxiliary AGM. Sadly due to the ever-changing COVID-19 environment, we have been unable to thank our Auxiliary members and their supporters in person this year. However, we wanted our Auxiliary

Looking for the perfect match

The gift of blood can mean so much to so many. For Jennifer Boulton, it is a person’s decision to go one step further and become a bone marrow donor that can be a truly life changing choice and one she encourages people to make. In March 2018, 56 year-old