Regional communities will benefit from improved cancer outcomes thanks to a new partnership forged between the VCCC Alliance and Bendigo Health, which has been appointed the second Associate Member in the history of the alliance.
The partnership is a significant milestone for the alliance in its 16-year history, cementing the organisation’s position as a leader in addressing disparities in cancer care between urban and regional areas.
VCCC Alliance Chief Executive, Professor Grant McArthur AO, said: “I am delighted that Bendigo Health’s application for associate membership of the VCCC Alliance was unanimously supported by the membership. We are excited to begin working together on a range of educational and research initiatives, including those led by colleagues at Bendigo Health, to improve cancer outcomes for regional Victorians.”
Bendigo Health Cancer Centre Director, Chris White welcomed the health service’s successful application for associate membership, emphasising the importance of equity in cancer care for regional communities.
“As an Associate Member of the VCCC Alliance, Bendigo Health is proud to represent the needs of regional Victorians — particularly those across the expansive Loddon Mallee region, which spans approximately a quarter of the state of Victoria,” Mr White said.
“This partnership reinforces our commitment to ensuring that people in regional and rural areas have the same access to high-quality, evidence-based cancer care as those in metropolitan centres. By working together with the VCCC Alliance, we’re strengthening our ability to deliver innovative research, education, and clinical excellence that will make a meaningful difference for patients right across our region.”
Bendigo Health is a leading regional health service, with around 5400 staff and a catchment area covering a quarter of Victoria. An integrated cancer centre administers around 9,000 chemotherapy treatments each year.
Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Victoria and Australia, accounting for one in every three deaths. Regional Victorians are 10 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than those living in major cities, and 15 per cent more likely to die. Patients with cancer living in regional and rural Victoria are further disadvantaged by experiencing lower five-year survival rates than those living in metropolitan areas – 69 per cent compared to 73 per cent, respectively.
The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre was founded in 2009 on the principles of the internationally recognised comprehensive cancer centre model established by the National Cancer Institute in the United States, adapted through a partnership approach to create a local comprehensive cancer centre model relevant to the Australian setting. Both a building (the VCCC) and a program of work, it was originally established with six partners and grew to 10 members: the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne Health (The Royal Melbourne Hospital), University of Melbourne, The Royal Women’s Hospital, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research), The Royal Children’s Hospital, Western Health, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (including St Vincent's Institute), Austin Health (including the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and Austin Lifesciences) and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
Associate Memberships as a path to full membership have been established to ensure the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance is inclusive across the state, and that advances in research, education, treatment and care benefit the cancer workforce and patients in metropolitan Melbourne and regional and rural areas.
Media enquiries: VCCC Alliance Senior Communications Manager Michelle Henderson M: 0417 765 311 [email protected]
