In July 2006, Victorian Minister for Health, the Hon. Bronwyn Pike officially opened the Monash Medical Centre’s new Children’s Cancer Centre.
The Children’s Cancer Centre development was generously supported by several charities, foundations, and community-minded organisations, particularly the Kids with Cancer Foundation, The KOALA Foundation (a cancer parent and peer support group) and the Blue Heelers.
The Monash Children’s Cancer Centre is part of the state-wide Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS) and works closely with the Royal Children’s Hospital and Peter McCallum Cancer Centre.
The Monash Children’s Cancer Centre along with PICS helps to coordinate and improve care for children and adolescents with cancer across all three locations.
With purpose-built treatment rooms and allied health consulting rooms the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre is well equipped. In addition there’s a day treatment facility and a comfortable site capable of providing general anaesthesia for minor oncology procedures.
A family friendly waiting area and indoor/outdoor play area helps to provide comfort and distraction for the patients and families that frequent the centre - often for 4-6 hours at a time.
Since its opening in 2006, the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre has significantly grown and now provides care to between 20-30% of Victoria’s young cancer patients. Currently, there are more than 140 children and adolescents having cancer treatment at the facility.
Essential to the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre is the full, 24-person cancer team that provides exceptional clinical, physical, social and psychological care to meet the needs of patients and their families.
The multi-skilled team of staff includes a social worker, play therapist, music therapist, psychologist, pharmacist and neuropsychologist. This complements a haematology/oncology consultant and junior medical team, as well as the Children’s Cancer Centre nursing team.
Approximately 20 patients a day receive oncology consultations and treatment. The Monash Children’s Cancer Centre also provides care for general paediatric patients at the Monash Children’s.
The Monash Children’s Cancer Centre team is continually striving to improve the care of children and adolescents with cancer and ultimately find a cure.
