Community ideas for excess funds

By Helen Tatchell

The facility was sold last year to another community based non- profit organisation mecwacare, and from the sale there are now excess funds, to the tune of $1.5 million.

Ballan District Health Care was a community-based health service that was supported and founded by the community as a not-for-profit organisation over 50 years ago.

Ideas are now sought from the BDH&C Board on what to do with those funds.

Former CEO of BDH&C James McComb said as the organisation will eventually be wound up, the Board would like to get ideas from the Community, for options for the use of remaining funds of $1.5 million.

“The plan is to invest the funds back into the Ballan District, to improve Community Health and Aged Care Health outcomes,” he said.

The wind up of BDH&C has resulted in the surplus funds and the outgoing voluntary Board is seeking local public feedback on options to use the funds to support health and aged care in the local community.

Mr McComb said the BDH&C Board wants to “ensure the remaining funds are used in the best way for the Ballan District Community.”

“There are already ideas from the AGM, and we have already received 5-6 ideas to date and some of those are fairly intensive which may use all the funds, and others are smaller projects,” he said.

“There is a criteria and the ideas must keep in with our objectives of improving community health and/or aged care outcomes.”

At an Association meeting on September 14 last year, Mr McComb said the money had to be donated to another charity.

“One option is it could be donated back to mecwacare, with strings attached,” he said.

“It could be used then to improve the buildings at Ballan, but it is something for discussion.”

Mr McComb said options would be put up at the AGM (Jan 2022) for members to vote on.

At the AGM it was decided to put out the call for ideas on how to spend the money and where it should be directed back into the community.

Ideas put forward, by the CEO and Board, at the AGM were to possibly provide air-conditioning for the aged care residents, bidets in bathrooms for residents however, it was mentioned that the facility is now owned by mecwacare, “so why should the surplus community money be put back into a facility that is no longer owned locally?”

The result of that meeting was to have forthcoming ideas from the community.

To read the full story – Simply click on the following link

https://issuu.com/themooraboolnews/docs/mn_2022-03-22/5

in the 22 March 2022 edition
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pick up a paper around your town.