ALPINE Health Myrtleford is the only aged care facility in the Alpine Shire set to receive some of the State Government funding announced last week. Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said public-sector aged-care services in Northern Victoria will receive $987,400 in funding to improve facilities and quality of care for elderly residents. Despite the seemingly large chunk of funding money, Alpine Health Myrtleford will only receive $24,300 which will be used to train aged care nurses in the comprehensive health assessment of older people and new equipment. Health services across Victoria will share in close to $6 million of new grants and more than $4 million of that state-wide funding will go to vital refurbishments so public sector aged care facilities can meet modern, contemporary standards and provide better and safer living conditions for residents. Ms Symes said Victoria has 182 public residential aged care facilities and about 86 per cent of them in country and regional towns. These state-owned facilities play a vital role in delivering aged care for vulnerable Victorians, she said. In small country communities, public providers can be the sole local provider of aged care, and are also central to the local economy and local jobs. The Andrews Labor Government is committed to supporting people to access local quality aged care homes and services in country and rural Victoria and are now investing in the future of public aged care facilities. Whether the State Government commits their support to the Bright Hospital redevelopment, which would include high level aged care, remains to be seen.