‘Not status or profit, but people’: New health clinic launched at Project 614

Major Brendan Nottle addressing the crowd at the launch. Image: Supplied

BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE

The new Project 614 Health Clinic officially opened on 1 May at a gala ceremony and high tea at the 69 Bourke Street building in Melbourne’s CBD.

The event, attended by dignitaries including Victorian Premier the Honourable Jacinta Allan MP, Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne Nicholas Reece and Territorial Commander Commissioner Miriam Gluyas, launched the clinic as a collaboration between CoHealth, Alfred Health and The Salvation Army. The event also marked 130 years of The Salvation Army’s presence in the 69 Bourke Street location.

Master of ceremonies Chloe Shorten, Deputy Chair of Alfred Health, introduced the ceremony by describing how about 600 people accessed the services at Project 614 every day, receiving a “warm shoulder to lean on, a safe place and most importantly, hope to get through tough times”. She also described Project 614 Team Leaders Majors Brendan and Sandra Nottle as “national treasures”.

The crowd watching the smoking ceremony prior to the launch. Image: Supplied

Thanks to the innovation of Victoria’s Chief Addiction Medicine Advisor Dr Paul McCartney and his colleague and friend Dr Dean Membrey, as well as the work of Brendan and Sandra Nottle, the new clinic will offer general practitioner services from 9am to 1pm on weekdays, as well as a nurse onsite and access to mental health services delivered by Alfred Health.

Alfred Health Program Director for Mental and Addiction Health, Associate Professor Simon Stafrace, said the team was building on the ethos pioneered by The Salvation Army and was committed to working beyond its own walls.

“We want to provide accessible, timely, and person-centred mental health care for those who might otherwise fall through the cracks,” Simon said. “From mental health perspectives, our priorities will be very clear. We intend to build trust. We want to deliver early assessment and advice. We want to support our colleagues [at] CoHealth and the Salvos … we want to improve pathways into more structured care only if that’s needed.

Image: Supplied

“In other words, we want to help people sooner and more safely before they find themselves in crisis or in emergency departments.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan spoke, thanking Brendan and Sandra Nottle for their work in caring for Victorians facing homelessness, addiction and social isolation in Melbourne’s CBD.

“If you want to find the real beating heart of our city, look right here: Brendan Nottle,” Jacinta said.

Jacinta said healthcare was not just about medicine, it was about trust. She said patients wanted to be treated like human beings, not a problem to be solved.

“That’s what this place understands, and that’s certainly what The Salvation Army has been doing here quietly for more than a century,” Jacinta said. “Through war, through depression, through pandemics, they’ve kept these doors open. Not because it was easy, but because they knew just how much it was needed.

“The opening of this new health hub that we are marking here today is so much more than bricks and mortar, it’s a statement of belief. A belief in fairness; a belief in dignity – in the idea that care should be available to everyone where they are when they need it. It’s a reflection of what we value most as a community: not status or profit, but people.”

Commissioner Miriam Gluyas at the event. Image: Supplied

Victorian Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt MP said the State Government was really proud to support The Salvation Army, CoHealth and the Alfred with an investment of $2.9 million.

She spoke of the wraparound support provided at Project 614, including general practitioners onsite, nursing, wound care, mental health support, pharmacotherapy services, as well as support to navigate government services, including housing, financial and legal support.

“We all love this city and we’re extremely fortunate to live in an affluent country, but with that fortune does come a responsibility to ensure that no one gets left behind,” Ingrid said. “People on the margins facing complex challenges in their lives deserve our care and our support, free from judgment and free from stigma.”

Nicholas Reece said as Lord Mayor, he wanted Melbourne to be the “best and fairest city in the world”. He drew attention to the verse on the wall of Project 614’s hall, Matthew 28:11, which reads “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”.

“That’s what The Salvation Army has been for 130 years – a place where people can find sanctuary, the care they need and making true that great aspiration for our city that Melbourne [is] the best and fairest of them all,” he said.

Dr Dean Membrey and Dr Paul McCartney, innovators of the health clinic. Image: Lauren Martin

Veteran ABC broadcaster and Salvation Army historian John Cleary offered a history of the Salvation Army’s work in the Bourke Street building. Collingwood Football Club Chief Executive Craig Kelly and Miriam Gluyas, as well as CoHealth Chief Executive Nicole Bartholomeusz, also spoke at the event.

Nicole said CoHealth had been providing outreach to those needing support with addiction for more than a decade, but this new clinic offered a wraparound service in a location where people already felt safe.

“Trust empowers people to make their own choices knowing that help will be there when they need it,” Nicole said. “This is what compassionate, non-judgmental care looks like. But none of this happens alone. It starts with strong partnerships. When we come together to support those who face huge challenges, we’re not just helping individuals, we’re improving the health outcomes of the whole community.”

Brendan Nottle closed the event by thanking all those present and those who were involved in the clinic, saying each one was “vital” to the work of Project 614.

The cake to celebrate 130 years of The Salvation Army's presence at 69 Bourke Street. Image: Miriam Gluyas

“We’ve been here 130 years, and The Salvation Army is planning on being here at least another century,” Brendan said, to whooping and hollering from the crowd.

“I just want to say this: while there remains one hungry person in the city, The Salvation Army shall not, the Salvation Army must not, and the Salvation Army will not move from this location. While there is one person with mental health issues and health issues that are undiagnosed and untreated, The Salvation Army shall not, must not and will not be moved from this location. While there remains one person in the city who has no friends, who is socially isolated, who’s locked out of meaningful, inclusive community, The Salvation Army must not and will not be moved from this location.

“While there continues to be one person that’s locked out of access to the basic human rights, The Salvation Army shall not, must not, will not be moved from this location. Seal, sign and deliver it,” he said.