Canberra’s City Health Centre estimated to stay closed until August 2026 | The Canberra Times

The community health center in Canberra city center is expected to remain closed for another four weeks as asbestos testing and remediation continues.

In an update on the temporary closure, Infrastructure Canberra said the City Health Center may not reopen until August 7.

Located on the corner of Alinga Street and Moore Street, the building is also home to the MSI Canberra Abortion and Contraception Clinic, BreastScreen ACT, the CanTEST pill testing service and the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN).

The temporary closure of the facility began on July 1 after asbestos-containing materials were detected in the building’s factory room following tests on June 29.

Infrastructure Canberra said additional monitoring, testing and expert reviews have been ongoing since the closure was announced.

Initial tests showed that numerous dense areas on multiple floors were free of asbestos-containing materials even when the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was operating normally, the state agency said in an update on Thursday evening (July 9).

However, results from the remainder of the testing program are pending and, on the advice of expert consultants, the building cannot be used while clean-up and remediation activities are ongoing.

Infrastructure Canberra said experts, testing results and cleaning progress will determine when the building can reopen.

“Current estimates indicate that closure may be required by August 7 to allow remedial work to be completed and to ensure the building can be safely reoccupied,” the update said. The statement was included.

“The health and safety of residents, staff and visitors remains the highest priority.”

Infrastructure Canberra said it was working with the Department of Health and Community Services, Canberra Health Services and Economic Development to support affected tenants and minimize disruptions to essential services.

A notice on the Canberra Health Services website said all patient appointments scheduled at the City Health Center have been or will be rescheduled.

The CanTEST team announced on social media that a free drug check pop-up site has been established at the Directions Health Services office in Woden.

Construction of the building, originally for the ACT Health Service started in the 1970s Before self-government, asbestos was still widely used in construction products in Australia.