Rochester and Elmore District Health Service reopens following post-flood rebuild

Rochester and Elmore District Health Service (REDHS) has reopened more than two years after it was inundated during the October 2022 Victorian floods.

Director of Corporate Services at REDHS Richard Morrison says it was a community effort to keep services running across multiple temporary locations during the 27-month flood recovery and refurbishment.

An estimated 40 per cent of the Rochester facility was damaged during the 2022 floods, which left a trail of devastation across Northern Victoria. The damage at REDHS was widespread with more than 1,000 items of equipment including beds, mattresses and aids and appliances needing replacement.

In January the hospital’s urgent care, acute and residential care wards, as well as the community and allied health areas, reopened following a multimillion dollar rebuild. The aged care facility also welcomed back residents, who had been housed in Echuca and Tongala since the floods.

During the rebuild, REDHS services were scattered across four sites in Rochester, Elmore, Echuca and Tongala. Richard says staff, residents and their families are very happy to be back on site.

“It’s the first time in two years that our workforce and consumers are all in one place, so it feels very much like a hospital again. It’s very exciting for the community – we’re the largest employer in the area and we haven’t been visible in Rochester since 2022 because the hospital has been a building site,” Richard says.

Richard says one of the biggest challenges during the rebuild phase was managing supplies. A maintenance shed was used as a storeroom, with staff coordinating deliveries to each of the temporary locations, one of which was 70 km away.

“Logistically it was quite a challenge – it was a real team effort to keep every site stocked,” he says.

“HSV’s Senior Customer Relationship Manager Trish Boschin provided much-needed assistance and guidance with emergency procurement, particularly after the floods.”

The health service was able to access HSV agreements for the new fitout and to replace most of the furniture.

“HSV has a wide range of ready-to-go contracts we could purchase from. It made the entire process easier, and it saved a lot of time. Trish is very approachable and able to help with anything we asked for.”

Trish says the rebuild process was a huge undertaking for REDHS and a credit to their staff and the community.

“The 2022 floods were devastating, and Rochester was one of the hardest-hit areas. It’s great to see the health service open again – it was a lot of hard work from staff to keep vital services running during such a challenging time.

This result is also due to the commitment and support of suppliers during the rebuild.”

Above image: Rochester and Elmore District Health Service after the October 2022 floods and (top image) following its reopening in January 2025.