The Essendon and District Memorial Hospital was founded in 1964. It was built on the site of an old home named Coilsfield. In 1986, amalgamation with the Essendon and District Memorial Hospital (EDMH) occurred. Plans for the establishment of EDMH can be traced back to 1945 when the Hospital and Charities Board asked the Essendon Council to consider establishing a hospital in honor of the men and women who served in the Second World War. A lack of funds postponed its building until the 1960s and in 1964 the maternity wing was officially opened. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the extension of the hospital with the addition of more maternity beds and the construction of a general hospital. Despite the completion of the extensions, in April 1982 the Health Commission suspended commissioning of the new EDMH. In 1986 the EDMH was amalgamated with the Royal Melbourne Hospital following recommendations by the Health Department which suggested that the hospital could operate more economically and effectively, benefiting from the latest techniques and technology available at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. (source http://www.mh.org.au/royal_melbourne_hospital/scripts/printpage.asp?objectid=1001564&objecttypeid=16&portletid=1001217) Accessed 29/8/12. The hospital then provided a range of health care needs. These were obstetrics, orthopedic and ophthalmic elective day surgery, breast x-ray programs. A Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was established at the hospital. These provided Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology and a range of outpatient clinics. The EDMH was closed in the late 1990s, following State Government rationalization of health care services. Today, the buildings are used for a mix of aged care and retirement accommodation. This page is for ex staff, volunteers, or patients to reconnect, and share memories.
