Yackandandah Health members vote for an Apollo Care takeover

At a special general meeting on Wednesday September 27, members of Yackandandah Health voted decisively for a resolution to transition control of their organisation to Apollo.

There was an 84 per cent 'yes' vote, in contrast to 61 per cent positive support when the same proposition was put to members at a special general meeting in June.

To succeed, the motion needed to meet a threshold of 75 per cent.

There were 340 votes this time with 284 for, 52 against and four abstentions.

Yackandandah Health chair Patten Bridge welcomed the outcome which came after he and new directors took over the board after the previous vote.

"I feel pleased that the community has been able to come together with a solid endorsement for the future of Yack Health," Mr Bridge said.

"This hasn't been an easy journey and it's satisfying that the majority of the community are supportive of the next steps."

Mr Bridge said the result was not "necessarily a surprise" given his board's efforts to educate the community and ensure it made an informed decision.

Board member Diane Shepheard told the meeting on Wednesday night that Yackandandah Health had $9.3 million in cash but much of that was tied up in aged care residential deposits and $18 million in liabilities.

She added the enterprise, which covers aged care, childcare and a medical clinic, was enduring cash losses of $100,000 a month.

The decision comes as special financial assistance provided by the federal government is due to end on Saturday September 30.

Apollo will formally takeover from that date.

Its representative Wayne Knapp watched on as the vote unfolded and he applauded the fashion in which a decision was reached.

"It's been wonderful to see the way the community here has interacted in a respectful manner over an issue which is dear to their hearts and the outcome supports the recommendation from the board," Mr Knapp said.

He noted Apollo had been happy for the board to explore other options.

"If they were able to find an alternate provider that was fine, if that's what the community wanted to do, go with another local non-for-profit, but if that wasn't able to proceed, we were quite happy to still be here," Mr Knapp said.

Two of the Yackandandah Health directors Margot Northey and Fabian Burder will continue to represent the community as the deal proceeds, while a community association or foundation will be formed to link with Apollo over the long term.

There is a commitment from Apollo Care to provide $200,000 to assist with town needs as part of the takeover arrangement.

Ms Shepheard noted Yackandandah Health, known as the bush nursing hospital previously, had been in community hands for 96 years but it had become harder to operate in a modern environment and the organisation had reached a "perilous position".

Former federal MP Cathy McGowan gave a vote of thanks to the board following the vote and praised the community for navigating a difficult period without tearing itself apart.

"There's very, very few communities that could actually, I think, hold that space for disagreement and finding a way through which is a very, very, very difficult place," Ms McGowan said before successfully calling for a standing ovation.

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