This year the Good Friday Appeal and The Royal Children’s Hospital will allocate $3 million in funding to more than 30 regional health services, to ensure every child receives the best possible healthcare, no matter what their postcode is.  

As the Good Friday Appeal marks 95 years of community support, sick children and their families in regional Victoria will continue to access world-class care closer to home, thanks to the generosity of Victorians. 

This investment will support critical projects such as upgrading lifesaving equipment, offering additional training, and providing scholarships for healthcare professionals. 

More than $8.5 million in funding has been allocated to regional Victoria over three years, highlighting the Good Friday Appeal and The Royal Children’s Hospital’s commitment to every child.

A great example of the significance of this funding is the Good Friday Appeal’s long-standing support for essential equipment and resources that enhance care at The Royal Children’s Hospital. 

Over the years, this support has extended to equipment such as neonatal cots, nursing skill simulation mannequins, infant warmers, endoscopy equipment, phototherapy units, vital sign monitors, syringe drivers, and apnoea monitors. 

Through the new regional funding, equipment of this kind is now being provided to regional hospitals, either as upgrades or as additional resources to enhance care locally.

Some of the 30+ health services, within the five regions include: 

• Barwon South West – Barwon Health, Colac Area Health & Barwon South West Health Services
• Gippsland – Central Gippsland Health Service, Gippsland Southern Health Service, Latrobe Regional Health, West Gippsland Healthcare Group
• Hume – Goulburn Valley Health, Albury Wodonga Health & Northeast Health Wangaratta 
• Grampians – Beaufort & Skipton Health Service, Central Highlands Rural Health,, East Grampians Health Service, East Wimmera Health Service, Maryborough District Health Service, Rural Northwest Health, West Wimmera Health Service
• Loddon Mallee – Bendigo Health,Dhelkaya Health, Echuca Regional Health, Mildura Base Public Hospital, Swan Hill District Health

This funding will help families across Victoria and southern New South Wales, by reducing travel times and improving medical outcomes.  

Today, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas will join Good Friday Appeal Chairman Penny Fowler AM and Executive Director Rebecca Cowan and RCH CEO Dr Peter Steer in Ballarat to announce $3 million in funding for these regions. 

Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas, said the Appeal is making a difference right across Victoria – helping more kids get the care they need, when they need it.

“No matter where you live, everyone deserves access to the very best care.”

Good Friday Appeal Chairman Penny Fowler, said regional funding provides an opportunity to keep kids closer to home. 

“This funding supports the hospital’s mission to extend its reach across the state and helps regional children and their families receive world-class care close to where they live, reducing an enormous stress for so many,” Mrs Fowler said.

“The Good Friday Appeal has had an unwavering commitment to supporting our state’s most vulnerable – sick children and their families – for the past 95 years and this new funding is a smart and efficient means to enhance regional capacity.

 “On behalf of everyone at the Appeal I would like to express a big thank you to the whole community for your incredible support.”

Good Friday Appeal Executive Director, Rebecca Cowan, said the funding underscores the Appeal’s commitment to delivering critical healthcare improvements in regional areas. 

“These funds will support vital projects aimed at enhancing patient care and equipping regional hospitals with much-needed resources,” Ms. Cowan said. 

“Regional Victoria is the backbone of the Good Friday Appeal. For decades, regional communities have rallied around the local CFA as they rattle tins, or supported the fundraising efforts of local Lions, Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, schools, businesses, and local families to raise funds for sick kids, who now may be able to receive the care they need closer to home.” 

Grampians Health will benefit from improved patient family accommodation and upgrade training and medical equipment in paediatrics.  

“This 2026 grant will provide unparalleled support in providing specialist paediatric care to the communities of Western Victoria.  It will allow us to continue to provide paediatric skills uplift training and to consolidate the often-underserved allied health services with enhanced equipment, training and assessment tools for the Grampians region. 

This grant will help us keep families together when they need each other the most. Support from the Good Friday Appeal will help us realise a patient family accommodation facility for regional and rural families. 

We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Good Friday Appeal and the thousands of regional families who generously donate – we know these projects will benefit so many families across our region,” said Dale Fraser, CEO, Grampians Health.

Barwon Health will receive funding to boost equipment for neonatal care & paediatric sleep studies, as well as equipment to enhance service provision closer to home.

“As the tertiary referral provider in the Barwon South West region, Barwon Health is proud to partner with the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal to support families when they need it most. 

The Good Friday Appeal is a powerful reminder that, by working together, we can help ensure families and children in our region have access to the highest standard of clinical care,” said Frances Diver, Chief Executive, Barwon Health.  

La Trobe Regional Health will receive funding to boost technology and improve innovative care.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Good Friday Appeal for their generous support, which will significantly strengthen paediatric care across Gippsland. 

This funding allows our clinicians to access specialised training, new technology, and innovative models of care that keep children and families closer to home. It’s an investment that will have a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of our youngest community members,” said Shannon Wight, Chair of the Gippsland Local Health Service Network CEO Committee.

Goulburn Valley Health will boost training for staff in areas such as Paediatrics Advanced Life Support as well as improve Nurse Practitioner Paediatrics for the Emergency Department.  

“The trip to Melbourne never feels longer than when your child needs urgent care.  Through the Good Friday Appeal, we’ve been able to upgrade equipment and upskill our team at GV Health, strengthening our care so more families in our region can stay close to home and receive care locally when it matters most.

We’re deeply grateful to the Appeal’s many supporters – your generosity is helping us close the gap in access to services locally for regional children and families,” said Matt Sharp, Chief Executive, Goulburn Valley Health.

Albury Wodonga Health will increase self-sufficiency in outpatient services and investment in staff training.   

“We are deeply grateful to the Good Friday Appeal for allocating funding to our region, and to the local fundraisers whose incredible efforts make this support possible. 

This funding enables us to upskill our staff, invest in critical equipment, implement innovative models of care, and expand outpatient services, helping to address gaps in regional paediatric care and allowing families to access the care they need, closer to home,” said Bill Appleby, Chief Executive Officer, Albury Wodonga Health.”

Bendigo Health will receive funding for an allied health triage clinic, improving care for regional Victorians Bendigo and the surrounding towns. 

“The Good Friday Appeal’s investment is already making a tangible difference for children and families across the Loddon Mallee.

While delivered through five locally led initiatives, this funding represents a single, coordinated regional response to shared challenges – unmet demand, long wait times, workforce pressures and inequitable access to specialist paediatric care.

It is strengthening service integration, improving equity of access, and laying the foundations for a more sustainable paediatric system for our region,” said Eileen Hannagan, CEO, Bendigo Health.

The Royal Children’s Hospital CEO Dr Peter Steer, said they’re extremely proud to be in partnership with the Good Friday Appeal, a history spanning over 95 years.  

“The Royal Children Hospital’s vision is a world where all kids thrive and children have the opportunity to reach their full potential. 

“With the incredibly generous donations from Victorians, we can purchase life-saving equipment, upgrade training and improve the outcomes for sick children, no matter where they live.” 

-ENDS- 

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