The long-awaited Woy Woy Ambulance Station is officially open, with a special ceremony on August 30 marking the occasion.
Health Minister Ryan Park said the new station would support the existing Terrigal and Point Clare ambulance stations to provide seamless 24/7 emergency coverage.
“This state-of-the-art ambulance station will support our highly skilled paramedics as they continue to provide high quality care for the region,” Park said.
“This is part of our commitment to invest in rural and regional health infrastructure to support better health outcomes.”
The new station includes internal parking for up to 10 emergency ambulance vehicles, staff common areas, administration and office areas, logistics and storage areas, a vehicle wash bay and a Medic Fit gym.
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch said the new station will serve the Central Coast community now and into the future.
“More than 378,000 people will call this region home by 2032,” she said.
“Nearly one in five of them will be aged over 70, which is why we need to invest in health services to meet the needs of our growing and ageing community.
“I welcome the opening of this station and will continue to stand beside our community in working to deliver the best possible health services for the people of the Peninsula and the Central Coast.”
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dr Dominic Morgan said paramedics were excited to be operating out of a new high-quality base.
“This new facility at Woy Woy will benefit the Central Coast Peninsula community now and into the future,” he said.
“The station will not only provide a more comfortable working environment for paramedics but also allow for training and development.”
Woy Woy Ambulance Station has been fitted with a solar panel energy system and an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) battery for essential building services.
The purpose-built facility on Ocean Beach Rd replaces the existing aging station at Ettalong and has been delivered as part of the $232M Rural Ambulance Infrastructure Reconfiguration (RAIR) program.
It is one of 54 new or upgraded ambulance stations being delivered across NSW as part of the RAIR program.
Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch has also welcomed the opening of the new station.
“The former Liberal-National Government was committed to improving health services in our region, and it is great to see these projects go from being on paper to being ready to serve our community,” he said.
“Under the former government’s record investment into health services in our region, new ambulance stations were to be built in Woy Woy, Kincumber, Lisarow and Berkeley Vale.”
Crouch said while the opening of the Woy Woy Ambulance Station was a win for the region, the State Government needed to provide answers on the future of the remaining ambulance stations.
“As of yet, we’ve heard nothing from the Government as to when locations for the new ambulance stations will be confirmed as well as when construction is due to commence,” he said.
“The community needs rock solid commitment from this government that these remaining ambulance stations will go ahead, building upon our local health infrastructure that the former Liberal-National government laid the groundwork for.”
Terry Collins