The Wimmera Base Hospital at Horsham provides extensive healthcare to communities in Western Victoria and the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation provided a donation of $80,000 the purchase of modern equipment to be installed in the new, emergency resuscitation unit. This was a joint project between the Blue Ribbon Foundation and the community through the Horsham Branch where half of the funds were raised in the local community.

The Unit was dedicated as a Police Memorial in memory of Constable George Howell who was murdered in 1952. On Wednesday 30th January 1952, Constable Howell of East Malvern Police was patrolling on his bicycle around the Crystal Palace Theatre in Dandenong Road Caulfield. he had been assigned to keep an eye out for offenders breaking into cars. At about 10.35pm he intercepted a man interfering with a car. After a short struggle the man broke free and ran off with Constable Howell in foot pursuit. The offender turned on the officer and shot him in the stomach at point blank range with a .22 sawn-off rifle. Although mortally wounded and unarmed, Constable Howell continued his pursuit then collapsed a short time later. He later died in hospital but was able to give detectives a good description of his attacker, which later led to his arrest and conviction for murder. Constable Howell was postumously awarded the King’s Police & Fire Service Medal for his courage and bravery under fire.