cohealth Kensington
ANMF (Vic Branch) welcomes the Albanese Federal Government’s funding announcement of $1.5 million for the cohealth community health organisation, ensuring vital frontline services remain open at Collingwood, Fitzroy and Kensington for at least another 12 months.
Members working at cohealth and the inner-Melbourne communities they care for were thrown a temporary lifeline late last year with interim Federal Government funding to keep the clinics open until at least 31 July 2026. This new funding is for another 12 months while cohealth, supported by North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network, makes changes in response to an independent review.
ANMF and members advocated strongly to both federal and state governments for ongoing and sustainable funding to ensure that cohealth can continue to deliver care to some of Victoria’s most vulnerable community members and the ongoing employment of our nurse members employed in these clinics.
This advocacy was in response to cohealth’s announcement, in October 2025, that it would close its GP practices at the three sites by December 2025 due to funding models that do not provide the time required for high-needs patients who face issues including homelessness, trauma, addictions and family violence.
Compared to the broader Australian population, cohealth’s patient profile is markedly different:
- 45 per cent live with chronic disease and 20 per cent have multimorbidity, driving higher care needs.
- 13 per cent identify as refugees (well above typical community prevalence)
- 9 per cent experience homelessness or insecure housing
- 62 per cent receive government benefits (compared with 25 per cent of the Australian adult population)
In response to the new funding, ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary Maddy Harradence said, ‘This is welcome news for our members and the vulnerable people they care for. The community’s advocacy and commitment to ensuring these vital services stay open has resulted in a further lifeline to keep cohealth clinics open in Collingwood, Fitzroy and Kensington until 31 July 2027.
‘ANMF (Vic Branch) will continue to work with all relevant parties to ensure the long-term viability of the services’ model of care.’
