A Home Away from Home at Cabrini
August 29, 2020

Hospitals, by their very nature, can be confronting places to visit. Fast-paced and unfamiliar, a night on the wards can have many patients longing for home comforts. Cabrini’s new Gandel Wing challenges that stereotype – it’s a hospital environment that feels like home.


The new seven-storey building design has been created from the perspective of the patient. The result is a state-of-the-art medical facility that helps to allay patient anxiety and strengthen interactions between staff, patients and their families.

Excellence in clinical care.

The new wing supports the latest in innovative clinical care, equipment and practices, all centered on a better outcome for patients. Facilities include:


  • expanded maternity facilities to cater for some of life’s most precious moments
  • a light-filled oncology unit, which offers a more comfortable and calming experience for patients and their families. New private treatment pods provide greater privacy and comfort for patients
  • state-of-the-art radiotherapy equipment will reduce treatment time and streamline the treatment process. The new technology focuses on sparing healthy tissue, resulting in better overall survival rates and quality of life
  • an improved cardiac services unit to provide rapid, responsive and reliable care for all heart problems – including early diagnosis, interventional and paediatric cardiology, as well as open heart surgery and rehabilitation
  • a ward dedicated to care for the elderly, with a focus on reducing falls and minimising the stress of delirium or conditions such as dementia.

Connecting patients with love and support.

The building design emphasises the natural environment. Studies show that well-designed hospital environments can reduce patients’ anxiety and stress and aid the healing process.


“Many things have changed since our humble beginnings more than 70 years ago but our commitment to helping the vulnerable in our community with compassion and respect has not wavered. We continue to place our patients at the centre of everything we do, as we strive to provide them with the best possible care.” Sylvia Falzon, Cabrini Board Chairman.


Pictured right: Cabrini Staff (image courtesy of Cabrini Health Australia)

Share this article:

Related articles

A New School Program Helps Bridge Generation Gap

July 28, 2025
A new program called Generations of Value has been introduced in Catholic primary schools across Australia at the start of Term 3, 2025. The program aims to help children appreciate the unique contributions of people at all stages of life, showing them how society is stronger and more vibrant with generations working together. The program was developed by Mercy Health Foundation , Australian Catholic University (ACU) , Meaningful Ageing Australia and Catholic Health Australia , and sponsored by Catholic Development Fund (CDF). One of the main instigators, the foundation’s partnerships manager, Mark Trayli ng, says the thinking behind the program stemmed from a comment by his grandfather, a naval man, that when people lose their last parent, they become a ship without a rudder. ‘I appreciated the sentiment because it underscored how much we rely on previous generations for guidance ,’ Mr Trayling says. ‘ But upon reflection, I’d modify that image: while growing up, it’s helpful to have two hands on the tiller and someone pointing to the North Star—so that later in life, we’ll know how to steer on our own. Generations of Value is a reflection of this sentiment .’ Older people now are healthier, more educated and more involved than they ever have been.

A Joyful Celebration of Faith: Consecration of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Parish South-East Melbourne

July 27, 2025
Saturday 12 July 2025 marked a moment of extraordinary joy and deep spiritual significance for Melbourne’s Syro-Malabar Catholic community, with the consecration of the new St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Parish in Dandenong South. Located in the heart of Victoria’s growing south-eastern corridor, the newly built church is the culmination of years of prayer, planning and tireless effort from the devoted community. The consecration liturgy was led by His Beatitude Mar Raphael Thattil, Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, and drew more than 2,000 faithfuls from across the state and beyond. The Syro-Malabar community in Melbourne’s South-East has seen remarkable growth over the past decade, prompting the establishment of the St. Thomas Parish in 2015 to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of its faithful. In the early years, parishioners gathered for Masses and catechism in shared or rented spaces, all the while nurturing the hope of building a permanent church.

$16 Million Campus Consolidation Unites the Emmanuel College Community in Warrnambool

July 23, 2025
On a sunny winter morning at Emmanuel College in the seaside town of Warrnambool in Victoria’s southwest, Principal Rachel McGennisken is chatting with a group of students outside the recently opened Edmund Rice Centre. The building’s burgundy exterior glistens in the gentle light and lifts the spirits of those gathered out front.
More

CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale and Bunbury. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.