Help support the 2016 Father’s Day Appeal

This Father’s Day, while so many Australians will be celebrating their dads, The Alfred is urging people to focus on men’s health.

This week, The Alfred has launched its 16th annual Father’s Day Appeal, which over the years has raised millions of dollars to genuinely improve the care that the hospital offers to men, their families and the entire community.

The appeal this year will be raising funds for the Cardiac Day Procedure Unit redevelopment.

Cardiac disease remains the number one cause of death for Australians, killing one person every 12 minutes. It affects one in six Australians and is the main cause of hospitalisation throughout Victoria.

The Cardiac Day Procedure Unit (DPU) supports the Alfred’s Catheter Labs, where lifesaving procedures such as stents, heart-valve implants and pacemaker implants are performed. Changing the configuration and adding more beds will double the size of the Cardiac DPU, allowing more patients to be treated in the same time frames.

Please help support this vital resource by donating to the appeal.

A cornerstone of the appeal is the Healthy Men booklet, which this year is centred on men’s mental health. Associate Professor Simon Stafrace, who is Director of Alfred Psychiatry, has been a major contributor to the booklet and said it’s no secret that in the past, men have been quite poor in caring for their mental health.

“While this trend now appears to be changing among younger people as a result of decade-long public awareness campaign, I don’t think the same can be said about older men,” A/Prof Stafrace said.

“The booklet presents an introductory look at the intersection between men’s health and mental wellbeing, including a number of practical tips that we can all take on board. There is no shame in having a mental health problem and hiding such issues doesn’t make them go away.”

Visit the Alfred Foundation Father’s Day Appeal to request a copy of the booklet, or read it online.  

The 2016 Father's Day Appeal is proudly supported by Bulla. For more information or to find out how you can support the appeal, visit The Alfred Foundation.

Celebrating dads at The Alfred

The Alfred is home to many dads who have dedicated their lives to helping keep other dads – and their families – healthy and happy. Associate Professor Bill Johnson, who started at The Alfred as a first-year resident in 1970, is one such dad – and he considers himself very lucky. Not only is he the father of four wonderful children, he’s also lucky enough to work with the youngest of them, Nick Johnson.

Bill is The Alfred’s Program Director for Surgical Services and Nick has followed in his father’s footsteps, working as a surgical resident at The Alfred. Bill has shared why it makes him so proud to work with his son.

“I am lucky to have four children and I am proud of all of them. Nick is the youngest and I am pleased he has chosen a profession that makes him happy. I am proud he has been chosen to work at The Alfred.

"I was a first year resident in 1970, it was a great hospital then and remains so now. It is a tough decision to follow into a hospital your father works at, there are many challenges, but Nick has met them, not because he is my son but because he is Nick, and that makes me very proud.

"He is surrounded by the extraordinarily talented group of people who work at Alfred Health, at all levels. This provides him with the ultimate learning opportunity, in a hospital which values its staff, and supports them in achieving their full potential, while delivering quality patient focused care.

"I keep my distance but I love having him here."

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