A sod-turning event was held to mark the commencement of construction at the $41.1 million facility, being built 275km north of Melbourne, containing 24 aged care beds and eight hospital beds.
Each will be a single room with private ensuite, with the new facility to replace the existing Cohuna District Nursing Home and medical ward with a new combined facility. The project will also include flexible shared spaces and common areas.
The cost of construction is more than triple the estimated $500,000 cost per bed quoted today in the sector. Construction is expected to be completed in 2027.
The project is part of the Victorian Government’s Regional and Rural Public Sector Residential Aged Care Services Revitalisation Strategy, which aims to replace dated public sector facilities with purpose-built homes that better meet community expectations and enable contemporary models of aged care. Along with the Cohuna project, the Victorian Government has new aged care homes being built in Mansfield, 180km northeast of Melbourne, and Orbost, 375km east of Melbourne as part of the revitalisation strategy.
The Cohuna project's architect is ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects, engineers Introba, and builders Fairbrother Construction.
Victoria currently has 171 public sector residential aged care facilities, more than any other state.
