Preston & Northcote Community Hospital

The Preston & Northcote Community Hospital (often referred to as PANCH^[3]) was a former hospital located in Preston, Victoria, Australia, opened in 1958 and relocated to the Northern Hospital in Epping in February 1998.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} PANCH was located on the corner of Bell and Hotham Streets.^[9] The site was sold off in April 1999, and part of the 30,000-square-metre (320,000 sq ft) site is now occupied by Bell City Centre which is a residential facility, student accommodation and host of two hotels a part of the Mantra Group.^[10]

Preston & Northcote Community Hospital
Geography
Location	corner of Hotham and Bell Streets, Preston, Australia
Coordinates	37°44′47″S 145°0′32″E
Services
Beds	304
History
Opened	1958 Officially opened: 3 July 1960[1][2]
Closed	April 1999
Links
Lists	Hospitals in Australia

Fixtures from the hospital were removed by volunteers to help rebuild a community hospital in Suai, East Timor.^{[citation needed]} The hospital's former operating theatres were used for a play on genetic engineering named The Teratology Project in 2002.^[11]

A new facility called the PANCH Health Service was established in 2003 by the State Government to address a shortage of medical services in the area.^[12] This State Government health service, which is located opposite the old PANCH site, is named out of nostalgia and is not directly connected with the former Preston & Northcote Community Hospital.^{[citation needed]}

Arms

Coat of arms of Preston & Northcote Community Hospital

Notes Granted 17 September 1962.[13] Crest On a Wreath Argent and Gules a dove Argent environed by a serpent the head in sinister chief facing to the dexter Vert. Escutcheon Tierced in pairle reversed Vert Gules and Sable a mullet of seven points irradiated Or. Motto Sapiens et Mitis