Recent media reporting about artwork and the use of fundraising funds at Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) has raised concerns in the community. We want to provide a clear account of the facts and the purpose of our investments in hospital environments.
Last financial year, AWH raised approximately $1.4 million through fundraising and community support, facilitated via our AWH Foundation. These funds are directed across a wide range of priorities, including essential medical equipment, service improvements, and initiatives that enhance the experience of patients, families, staff, and volunteers.
The figure reported publicly that AWH spent $200,000 on artwork in the last financial year is factually incorrect. During the 2024–25 financial year, AWH opportunity shops raised $369,499. These funds supported the ongoing bed replacement program to enhance patient comfort and facilitated the installation of therapeutic artwork across our campuses. A total of $57,863 was spent on artwork.
In the same period, $1,069,717 in donated funds was applied to essential medical equipment, including a Panda cot for neonatal care, an endobronchial ultrasound system for lung disease diagnosis, a cryoprobe for tissue sampling, as well as items such as hospital beds and a colposcope to support cervical assessment and follow-up care.
Expenditure on artwork is not limited to new acquisitions. It also includes the reframing, conservation, and curation of existing donated works, as well as the protection of significant local pieces that form part of AWH’s history, including works by respected local artists and Elders such as Eddie Kneebone.
Like many contemporary health services, AWH includes art and design as part of creating therapeutic, culturally safe and welcoming environments. This is recognised practice across both metropolitan and regional hospitals. This includes St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne and The Royal Children’s Hospital, which operates the Arts at RCH (ARCH) program, informed by international evidence that art can support healing, reduce stress for patients and families, and contribute to staff wellbeing. Regional health services have also adopted formal governance arrangements, including Echuca Regional Health’s Aboriginal Art Advisory Group to guide culturally appropriate artwork. More broadly, hospital foundations routinely support artwork and environment projects, including at Northern Health and Frankston Hospital, where a major public sculpture was recently installed as part of a hospital redevelopment to create a calmer and more welcoming space for patients, visitors and staff. Recent hospital redevelopments, such as Footscray Hospital, have also incorporated commissioned artworks into new facilities as part of contemporary health infrastructure design. Investment in hospital environments is not made instead of investment in clinical care. It sits alongside our responsibility to provide safe, high-quality services and to ensure that the spaces in which people receive care support dignity, wellbeing and recovery.
At AWH, this approach focuses on areas where patients and families experience high stress and vulnerability, such as carer spaces, waiting areas, corridors, and sensitive locations including the mortuary viewing area. Feedback from staff and patients consistently highlights the importance of calm, visually engaging, and culturally representative environments, including local and First Nations artwork.
Artwork across AWH is overseen by a volunteer-led Art Committee, which includes staff, independent consumer representatives, and external members connected to local councils and cultural organisations. The committee operates under approved Terms of Reference and an Artwork Policy, providing clear guidance on selection, cultural appropriateness, safety, installation, asset management, and disposal.
All appointments, procurement processes, and artwork selections at AWH are conducted with strict adherence to probity, legal, and governance and conduct frameworks.
Bill Appleby, AWH Chief Executive Officer, notes: “Improving hospital environments is part of delivering high-quality care. Investment in therapeutic spaces complements clinical care and contributes to wellbeing for patients, families, and staff alike.” Both Mr. Appleby and Board Chair, Jonathan Green, met with opportunity shop volunteers in May 2025 to explain how funds are allocated, the role of the Art Committee, and the positive impact of artwork and other initiatives on patient and staff experience.
Brooke Ford, Patient Experience Manager, adds: “Improving the consumer experience in healthcare is not an added extra but a necessary part of a patient’s healing, because when people feel seen, safe, and supported, care becomes more effective.” Additionally, Elaine Hill, Art Committee Chair and former Volunteer Coordinator, reflects that “art softens clinical spaces and reduces stress, and when combined with a strong focus on consumer experience, it supports healthcare environments that nurture wellbeing alongside high-quality clinical care for patients, staff, and visitors.”
We remain grateful to our volunteers for their generosity and dedication. Their contributions power our opportunity shops and play a vital role in enhancing the care and experience of our patients and community.