Multimillion-dollar health hub opens in regional centre
The doors of a new multimillion-dollar fit-for-purpose health centre in Murray Bridge have finally opened, 23 years after demand for services in the area was first identified.
The $10 million Moorundi Health Centre at Murray Bridge was built to support First Nations patients and revitalise local Indigenous health practices, 23 years after demand for the services were first identified.
The centre, located on Adelaide Road and designed by Moorundi staff and Aboriginal members, intends to deliver culturally appropriate health, social, and wellbeing services to First Nations people in a safe space.
Moorundi, named for the Ngarrindjeri word for river, is an Aboriginal community-controlled health service and previously operated from three separate Murray Bridge locations, which caused a disconnect among staff working at different sites.
The new centre is large enough to accommodate wellbeing services, allied health, elders and children’s programs, and its size means it can receive an increase in clients from the region’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
Moorundi Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service CEO Steven Sumner said the centre was decades in the making.
“It was 23 years ago when the Ngarrindjeri community identified the need for an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in Murray Bridge to address serious issues around health and wellbeing for the Aboriginal Community,” he said.
“This new facility will allow Moorundi to bring cultural safety and integrity in alignment with key primary health care principles, such as equity, accessibility, community participation, intersectoral collaboration, and appropriate technology through a purpose-built facility.
“I truly hope this new build acts as a beacon for all Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations across Australia to deliver quality primary healthcare services to our communities and decrease the rates of chronic disease and poor health outcomes through intervention and prevention processes”.
Stay informed, daily
$1.1 million of funding for the project came from the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC), while the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care (DH&AC) provided over $8.9 million.
Chair for the Moorundi Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service Ltd, Tahlia Lloyd, said the centre’s opening was a community milestone.
“The new health centre will not only deliver vital health services, but will serve as a place of healing, belonging, and cultural connection,” Lloyd said.
“It reflects our commitment to addressing health inequities and ensuring our children and future generations grow strong in culture and wellbeing.
“The centre is more than just a building, it symbolises self-determination, cultural strength and our community’s right to accessible, holistic, and culturally safe healthcare.”
