The progressive, privately-owned company – co-founded by two experienced senior healthcare executives and a leading psychiatrist – has embraced the latest health design principles, technology-integrated care and trauma-aware programs intended to reinvigorate mental health services while providing better outcomes for patients.

 

‘Avive Clinic Mornington Peninsula’, representing a $30m investment into the sector, is the company’s second in a pipeline of private mental health hospitals developed under a uniquely different business model, where all aspects of the treatment journey are clinician-led from facility design to program offerings.

 

Occupying a prime site at 1 St Johns Lane, Mount Eliza, the Avive Clinic provides patients choice in recovery, flexible pathways and access to clinical teams and psychiatrists. It increases the mental health beds available in the region by ~66%, from 91 to 151 beds.

 

This hospital features a boutique hotel-like environment with 60 single patient rooms with ensuites across two wings together with group and art therapy rooms, psychiatrists’ consulting suites, a dedicated fitness studio and gymnasium, as well as landscaped outdoor retreat areas.

 

Avive Clinic Mornington Peninsula provides inpatient treatment, day patient programs and outpatient consultations for people living with alcohol use disorders, anxiety disorders, depression and mood disorders, early life, and adult trauma, including defence and emergency first responders; within a trauma-aware culture and facility that ensures both clinical and non-clinical staff can positively impact each patient’s recovery journey.

 

Avive Health Co-founder and Co-CEO, Greg Procter said the hospital was a ‘game-changer’ for the Mornington Peninsula and more broadly, for the sector.

 

“Avive Health is focused on delivering better patient experiences and outcomes, while delivering healthcare differently and embracing the latest technology from across the globe. GPs, health professionals and patients can choose from our immersive inpatient programs, or supportive day patient programs – whichever suits each patient’s recovery journey,” he said.

 

“We’re focused on delivering evidenced-based services throughout a person’s entire mental health and wellness journey, so each of our streamed programs – be it anxiety and mood, dual diagnosis, intensive trauma processing, or mind and body – include comprehensive discharge and aftercare planning to support ongoing recovery.”

 

Mr Procter added, “Investment in technology across our business, including in our hospitals is a key point of difference. Our electronic patient tablets alone are already supporting improved outcomes, specific to what each of our patients need. Our clinical team can access and share patient treatment information, complete rounding, capture real-time patient input and adjust care during a hospital stay; whilst our patients have greater control over their environment and access to information resources, therapy programs and streaming platforms – to name just a few.”

 

Avive Health Co-founder and Co-CEO, Mark Sweeney said, “As well as our patient tablets, we have invested heavily into a range of building technologies and management systems such as circadian rhythm lighting, true presence sensors, security and access control technology – all designed to improve the patient experience and ultimately, outcomes specific to what each of our patients need.”

 

“Avive Clinic Mornington Peninsula is unlike anything seen before. It embraces salutogenic design principles, which is a research-backed approach focused on creating environments to support health and wellbeing rather than simply treating illness. Our hospitals are designed specifically for mental health; by recognising the connection between a person’s health and their physical surroundings we’ve created environments that actively support recovery along every step of a patient’s hospital treatment journey.”

 

This includes interior design to support the emotional and spiritual states of patients, as well as integrating indoors and out through nature, landscaping, and natural light.

 

Avive Health has partnered with Kingdom Projects for construction; HSPC Health Architects for design; and Northwest Healthcare Properties (“Northwest”) through its NZX-listed Vital Healthcare Property Trust as property owner and partner.

 

Northwest Co-Head, A/NZ Region Richard Roos said: “We are proud to further increase Australians’ access to mental health care services with the opening of this new mental health hospital in Mount Eliza, the Avive Clinic Mornington Peninsula. There is an undersupply of private mental health facilities in the catchment, as well as a demand from clinical specialists for an additional premium mental health offering in the area. We are pleased to have increased the supply of available mental health beds through this 60-bed premium facility, building on Northwest’s 1,000+ mental health beds available across the portfolio in Australia and New Zealand.

 

“The provision of high-quality treatment facilities for mental health patients is increasingly critical, and the opportunity to develop this high-quality asset in the growing, prosperous location of Mount Eliza aligned strongly with Northwest’s strategy. We are pleased to support a new market operator by way of the provision of a new mental health facility for Avive, with whom Northwest has strong alignment. Both entities are specialists in their fields – namely, mental health care for Avive and healthcare real estate for Northwest – and both with a focus on premium, sustainable and long-term services.”

 

Mr Procter added: “Today’s opening celebration is the culmination of 18 months of hard work from our Avive team, which has embraced the challenge to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians and their families. We look forward to working with private and public providers and the community to deliver much-needed mental health services to Mornington Peninsula, across Victoria and beyond.”