Regional Victoria | Good Friday Appeal

Good Friday Appeal Launches Regional Funding Initiative

Our smallest and sickest children will receive world-class care closer to home, thanks to the generosity of Victorians and the unwavering support of the Good Friday Appeal.

A $3 million investment will provide a significant boost to regional health services, supporting critical projects such as upgrading lifesaving equipment, offering additional training, and providing scholarships for healthcare professionals.

The Good Friday Appeal is taking The Royal Children’s Hospital excellence into the regions to support regional paediatric health services.

The Good Friday Appeal is committed to supporting the Royal Children’s Hospital in extending their care beyond the four walls of the hospital, building to improve the health outcomes of children all over Victoria.

We understand that Parkville is a long way from Paynesville and Penshurst – this funding will help families across Victoria and southern New South Wales, by reducing travel times and improving medical outcomes, ensuring children can access the care they need closer to home.

2025 Quick facts:

Informed by regional health services, this funding will be used to support the delivery and implementation of equipment, education and training, and projects that are most relevant to the healthcare needs of the local health services and their community.
Of the 70 health services across the State, funding will be shared across 41 health services from the 2025 Good Friday Appeal,
- with 35 of these services receiving funding from the Good Friday Appeal for the very first time
- including over 20 in Hume
- with a focus on the delivery of advanced paediatric programs, including the upskilling of staff and providing access to equipment specifically designed for treating children and young people.

Regional health services have coordinated the granting process across five geographic regions. Through this, the following health services across the five geographic regions will receive GFA funding in 2025-26:

Barwon South West – Barwon Health, South West Healthcare, Colac Area Health Service, Western District Health Service, Portland District Health Service.
Gippsland – Latrobe Regional Health, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Central Gippsland Health, Gippsland Southern Health Service, South Gippsland Hospital, Omeo District Health, West Gippsland Healthcare Group.
Hume – Albury Wodonga Health, Alexandra District Health, Alpine Health, Beechworth Health Service, Benalla Health, Corryong Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Kyabram District Health Service, Mansfield District Hospital, Nathalia, Cobram & Numurkah (NCN) Health, Northeast Health Wangaratta, Seymour Health, Tallangatta Health Service, Yarrawonga Health, Yea & District Memorial Hospital.
Grampians – Grampians Health, Beaufort and Skipton Health Service, Central Highlands Rural Health, East Grampians Health Service, East Wimmera Health Service, West Wimmera Health Service, Maryborough District Health Service, Rural Northwest Health.
Loddon Mallee – Bendigo Health, Dhelkaya Health, Swan Hill District Health, Mildura base Public Hospital, Echuca Regional Health.

This funding will make a substantial impact across each region by supporting the following:

Equipping every region with new, paediatric-specific equipment and technology
Training and education programs such as short courses and scholarships in four of the five regions
Enhancing neonatal service provision through training and equipment in Barwon South West
Upgrade of video conferencing tools and paediatric therapy spaces in Gippsland
Delivery of a virtual allied health triaging and intake project tailored to meet the needs and demands of the Bendigo community
Establishing a brand-new play facility in the Grampians to enhance the patient family accommodation facilities
Advancing paediatric life support and critical care for regional ICU patients in Albury-Wodonga.

View the Regional Funding flyer

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2024 Funding

In 2024, six regional health services shared $2.5 million from the record-breaking $23,368,724 raised by the Good Friday Appeal:

Loddon Mallee – Bendigo Health
Barwon South West – Barwon Health
Gippsland – Latrobe Regional Health
Hume – Goulburn Valley Health and Albury Wodonga Health
Grampians – Grampians Health

The funds raised by last year’s Good Friday Appeal have delivered life-changing improvements and will continue to positively impact countless families across regional Victoria.

Loddon Mallee – Bendigo Health is creating an all-abilities outdoor kids’ rehabilitation play space, co-designed with input from both clinicians and patients.

Barwon Health received new resuscitation training and video equipment for neonatal care.

Latrobe Regional Health has also used the funding to purchase state-of-the-art simulation equipment to upskill the nursing and medical teams in advanced and basic life support.

Goulburn Valley Health were able to offer four paediatric nursing scholarships across a range of specialised teams.

Grampians Health purchased new infant resuscitation cots and ultrasound equipment for women and babies with high-risk health needs.

“For 94 years, the Good Friday Appeal has raised $468million to support sick kids and their families. Every dollar donated provides life saving care at The Royal Children’s Hospital and this funding will further enhance regional capacity, support essential projects to improve patient care, and provide regional hospitals with crucial resources. We want to thank our regional supporters who are at the heart of the Good Friday Appeal for their incredible fundraising efforts over the years” Penny Fowler AM, Chairman of the Good Friday Appeal.

“These funds will support vital projects aimed at enhancing patient care and equipping regional hospitals with much-needed resources. We want to ensure that regional Victorians have access to high-quality healthcare closer to home. The unwavering support from regional communities has helped us achieve incredible outcomes and we remain deeply committed to continuing this legacy” Rebecca Cowan, Executive Director Good Friday Appeal.

Read the media release

Regional funding areas

Barwon South West – Barwon Health

From saving babies’ lives thanks to resuscitation training and new video equipment, and increasing patient care and outcomes by using specialised ultrasounds, to upskilling nursing staff in response to a surge in eating disorders, funding will support critically ill children and young people of all ages across the Barwon area. Read more

Gippsland – Latrobe Regional Hospital

From upskilling staff to create Gippsland’s first neurodevelopment outpatients’ clinic, and purchasing new equipment to detect and manage eye disease, through to increasing the capability of nursing staff by purchasing specialised training equipment and offering RCH secondments, funding will change and save the lives of Gippsland children, in particular by allowing early detection and management of a range of conditions. Read more

Grampians – Grampians Health Care

Providing care for a catchment area of 250,000 people, Grampians Health requires new state-of-the-art resuscitation, ultrasound and anaesthesia equipment to continue to provide the best care locally for women and babies with high-risk health needs. Read more

Loddon Mallee – Bendigo Health

From building an all abilities kids rehab play space co-designed by clinicians and patients, to prioritising learning and development initiatives across nursing, allied health and intensive care, new funding will foster fun and creative play as an enabler of improved patient experiences and outcomes, while also helping to attract and retain highly qualified staff across the Loddon Mallee region. Read more

Hume – Goulburn Valley Health and Albury Wodonga Health

Funding will enable children to receive highly-specialised, life-saving respiratory care within the Goulburn Valley. It will create two part-time emergency nurse practitioner roles, support scholarships, and upskill staff delivering Hospital in the Home care, thereby keeping more children out of hospital, and servicing increased demand. At Albury Wodonga Health the funding will establish a Paediatric Hospital In The Home Program, invest in advanced medical equipment including an ultrasound machine for paediatric echocardiograms and a polysomnograph for sleep studies. Read more

Regional funding

Regional funding plays a critical role in building the capability and capacity of health services across the state. The aim is to increase the number of children and young people who can receive high quality care closer to their home, making the pathway to specialist care easier. From nursing scholarships to capital expenditure, this investment will go some way to strengthening these services and their invaluable work delivering health care to children, young people, and families living in regional and rural Victoria. Read more

Thank you to Regional Victorians

The impact of regional Victoria on the Good Friday Appeal is nothing short of extraordinary, these communities play a pivotal role in the heart and soul of the Appeal. Year after year, the collective passion and dedication from regional areas contribute significantly to the Appeal. It is through the collaboration and support of these vibrant communities that the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) has been able to help more sick kids across Australia, making a lasting and positive impact on the lives of countless children.

“We would like to acknowledge our 208 dedicated Area Managers and key fundraising partners such as the CFA, Uncle Bobs Club, RCH Auxiliaries, Lions, Rotary, and other committees. Along with our wonderful Volunteers, they have been running fundraisers, shaking tins and door knocking across the state and beyond for many years. Your commitment is truly inspiring,” Rebecca Cowan, Good Friday Appeal Executive Director.

Since its inception, the Good Friday Appeal has raised more than $492 million, helping Victorian families access world-class healthcare services.

Fundraising Guide

If you are living in regional Victoria and thinking of fundraising, check out our Fundraising Guide for activity ideas and advice. We have over 200 Area Managers across Victoria who coordinate fundraising in their towns. Read guide

Regional Fundraising

Did you know you can fundraise online for the Good Friday Appeal, as an individual or as a town. It is quick and easy to set up a page and share it with your friends, family and community. Find out more

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We would love to hear how The Royal Children’s Hospital has touched your life or the life of someone close to you, as well as stories from our incredible fundraisers and volunteers across regional Victoria. Share now