New equipment for Ballarat Emergency Department

The Oliver family has had a deep connection to the Ballarat community for over 100 years. 

For generations, their family business has manufactured safety footwear for people from all walks of life - from boots for local goldminers in the late 1800s, to modern personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers all over the world.

The Oliver family has always been active members of the local community, and passionate supporters of local organisations, including hospitals. In 2021, they provided generous philanthropic support to St John of God Ballarat Hospital, which enabled the purchase of an innovative new mobile ultrasound machine for the Emergency Department (ED).

With the ED experiencing increasing demand on a daily basis, this new machine allows emergency physicians to perform ultrasounds on patients in real time. The machine allows for more sophisticated diagnostic testing for a range of conditions – from severe trauma, to cardiac conditions, to issues during pregnancy.

The machine also means patients can be treated more quickly, and may even decrease the amount of time patients are required to stay in ED. This has a flow on effect to ED wait times, so more patients can been seen in a shorter period of time.

“It was great to see the ultrasound machine and to hear about how valuable it has been for the Emergency Department, and for the patients who have been treated using this machine,” said Andrew Oliver, of the Oliver Family Foundation.

We are exceptionally grateful that our community is made up of compassionate individuals and philanthropic leaders like the Oliver Family, and we thank them for their generous support.