Arthritis ACT’s hydrotherapy sessions will move to Aqua Harmony in Kambah from Monday 2 March, with the hydrotherapy pool at the Canberra Hospital to close on Saturday 29 February.
The move is part of a new agreement between the ACT Government and Arthritis ACT announced on Friday 14 February to continue providing hydrotherapy services on Canberra’s southside.
The ACT Government has committed additional funding of $305,000 over three years, providing for 645 additional hydrotherapy sessions a year at Aqua Harmony with two qualified staff members in attendance.
The funding is in addition to the $239,000 per annum that Arthritis ACT currently receives from the ACT Government for the provision of services to the community, including 614 hydrotherapy sessions a year.
ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said Arthritis ACT’s hydrotherapy sessions will move to Aqua Harmony while work continues to explore options for new hydrotherapy services on the southside.
In November 2019, the ACT Government committed to a market sounding process to identify non-government organisations that may be interested in working with the ACT Government to facilitate new, public hydrotherapy services in Canberra’s south.
Expressions of Interest closed on 14 February. ACT Health will now review submissions and engage with relevant stakeholders, including Arthritis ACT.
