Sunshine Coast Cancer Centre

For five years the Sunshine Coast united with Wishlist in a landmark fundraising campaign to provide a better local cancer treatment service at Nambour Hospital.

Unrelenting support from local business, individuals and community groups raised a total of $1.7 million to establish the Sunshine Coast Cancer Centre on level two of Nambour Hospital.

The Centre has brought a range of cancer treatment services together under one roof at Nambour Hospital reducing the need for cancer patients to travel to Brisbane for treatment.

Wishlist was proud to officially open the Centre on 28th January, 2006.

Our fundraising campaign for the Centre continues through the annual Wishlist Row For Cancer and other events.

Background

In 2001 Wishlist embarked on our first major capital fundraising campaign, to raise $1.5 million to establish the Sunshine Coast Cancer Centre.

The campaign aimed to capitalise on planned improvements to the local health service infrastructure. The Centre would facilitate state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary case management for cancer patients of the Sunshine Coast and surrounding areas.

The potential would then exist to include a Chemotherapy Unit, a Psychological Support Unit, a Palliative Care Centre, dedicated cancer beds, an Oncological Pharmacy, an Epidemiological Research Centre with a local focus, and ultimately accommodation for outpatients from other Districts.

The Cancer Centre would dramatically improve local services available to cancer patients by establishing a supportive treatment environment close to family and friends.

A major part of the campaign funds were raised through a mammoth project aptly named The House the Coast Built, which saw the community come together to build a charity home for free which was then succesfully auctioned off. All proceeds were directed towards building the Sunshine Coast Cancer Centre at Nambour General Hospital.

Community support for the campaign was overwhelming.