Cowra Retirement Village to reopen Harden facility

Not-for-profit aged care provider Cowra Retirement Village is planning to take over Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT’s recently closed St Lawrence Residential Aged Care Facility in Harden on the New South Wales south-west slopes.

Cowra Retirement Village said the 10-year-old facility is well designed and fit-for-purpose for an aged care and independent living community.

Cowra Retirement Village has been providing residential and home aged care and retirement living services in Cowra in central west NSW for 33 years. It currently employs 130 staff.

As reported in February, SCC NSW & ACT announced it was closing the 45-bed Harden home due to below average demand over the past three years.

The board and management of the Cowra Retirement Village said recommissioning the aged care home offered an opportunity to complement its existing business and expertise in the aged care sector.

“Cowra Retirement Village will undertake due diligence to determine the feasibility and sustainability of the Harden facility to ensure it delivers the same high standards of care delivered by suitably experienced and qualified staff as at its Cowra facility,” Cowra Retirement Village said in a statement.

Cowra Retirement Village chair Ian Donges said recommissioning the facility was an exciting opportunity.

“Over the coming weeks we will be engaging with the Harden Murrumburrah Regional Development Corporation and the community at all levels to start building a relationship of co-operation and mutual respect that we trust will result in the ongoing provision of a sustainable and high quality residential aged care facility to the people of Harden and district,” he said.

SCC NSW & ACT CEO Helen Emmerson welcomed the acquisition.

“Closing St Lawrence was an incredibly difficult decision, particularly given the tight knit community of Harden,” Ms Emmerson said.

She said SCC NSW & ACT was committed to ensuring a smooth transition.

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