13KIDS finds new help

By Lia Bichel
THE number of children accessing medical attention at Casey Hospital is expected to rise since Southern Health network re-branded its children’s programs, Program Director Professor Nick Freezer says.
Previously known as Southern Health Women and Children Program, Monash Children’s launched its new name and phone number, 13KIDS.
Monash Children’s operates from Casey Hospital, Dandenong Hospital and Monash Medical Centre Clayton, serving newborn, child and adolescent needs. It is the state’s third-largest children’s hospital. Last year, more than 25,000 children were admitted as inpatients but its profile is way below that of the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Prof Freezer said he believed many local families took their children to the Royal Children’s Hospital because of lack of awareness, but hoped the new name and one-stop phone number would change that.
In the next 10 years, Prof Freezer said there was a predicted 15 per cent increase in the number of patients who would access Monash Children’s.
“I would like to see Monash Children’s continue to grow and become a major provider to people in Southern and Eastern Melbourne, and Gippsland.”