Thanks to funding from the Department of Health and the Be Well / Be Safe program we have been able to provide free meals, coffee and snacks to team members working in COVID affected areas and more recently to those working night shifts or double shifts across our various sites and departments.
The free meals initiative was introduced in December 2021 by the Victorian Government to support healthcare workers facing the challenges of working in a COVID pandemic. While funding for the initiative ceased in December 2022, we extended the program until 31 March 2023.
We are grateful for the funding which allowed us to deliver this additional support for our teams, who worked tirelessly to deliver care to our patients through a busy and challenging time. Through this initiative, we have provided more than 322,000 meals, 455,000 cups of coffee, and hundreds of thousands of snacks to our amazing employees.
This is one of many employee wellbeing initiatives delivered in the last 24 months, alongside subsidised gym memberships, free massages, walking challenges, the installation of new coffee machines, health and wellbeing journals, free smoothies, music therapy and free dental checks.
A sincere thank you for your continued dedication and a reminder to please pack some refreshments or choose from the wide selection available at our cafes from 1 April 2023.
Your experience matters
We are committed to supporting your wellbeing and that of your family with continuing initiatives like our Employee Assistance Program; Be Well / Be Safe programs; Stronger Together grants; Resilience Journals; Money 101 website; our next Walking Challenge; and new psychological health initiatives.
As we explore opportunities for the future, we welcome your feedback on what initiatives have the most impact for you and how we can provide better support for your health and wellbeing. Send your feedback to the Wellbeing team here.
Note: Free meals, coffee and snacks currently offered at the Victorian Heart Hospital do not fall under this initiative and were introduced in the absence of an on-site café. Employees based at the VHH will continue to have access to free meals, coffee and snacks until the café is completed and available to staff.