Rituals mark opening of new Calvary hospital
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A traditional smoking ceremony from Kaurna and Nurrunga man Jack Buckskin and a blessing by Bishop Greg O'Kelly SJ marked the official opening of the new $345 million Calvary Adelaide Hospital last week.
A relative of Jack, the late Mary Joan Buckskin nee Karpany, was the first Indigenous registered nurse to graduate from Calvary North Adelaide Hospital in the late 1970s.
Mary was instrumental in South Australia’s bipartisan signing of the Oxfam Closing the Gap Statement of Intent to address Aboriginal health inequities. Calvary Adelaide Hospital now houses the Mary Buckskin Auditorium on Level 1 in tribute to her contribution to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal people within South Australia and across the whole country.
Apostolic Administrator of the Adelaide Archdiocese Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ blessed the hospital, which is Calvary’s largest healthcare investment in Australia, and the following day celebrated a thanksgiving Mass in the chapel.
Calvary national CEO, Martin Bowles, acknowledged the importance for each hospital within the Calvary network to be blessed.
“Calvary South Australia has been caring for South Australians since 1900. We are incredibly proud of our history here in South Australia and today marks a special day for the entire Calvary community as we continue to deliver the highest quality, compassionate healthcare,” Mr Bowles said.
The 344-bed hospital in Angas Street features 16 state-of-the-art operating theatres including five dedicated day surgery theatres, Adelaide’s first hybrid theatre, two angiography laboratories and four procedural rooms.
It has 66 day patient beds and a 24/7 emergency department, onsite radiology and pathology, and a retail pharmacy.
It also houses many consulting tenancies with more than 70 specialist doctors now conducting their practices on the site. Other features include:
Calvary Adelaide Hospital is one of three Calvary hospitals in South Australia. The others are Calvary North Adelaide and Calvary Central Districts.
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