Hamilton Hospitals To Be Expanded, Improved To Support Population Growth
Provincial
Investment Will Reduce Wait Times, Improve Treatment For Area Residents
HAMILTON, ON,
Nov. 4 /CNW/ - Residents of the
Greater Hamilton area will have improved access to health care thanks to
major provincial government investments in expansion and redevelopment
projects at St. Joseph's Healthcare and Hamilton Health Sciences.
Dr.
Marie Bountrogianni, Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal and MPP
for Hamilton Mountain, and Judy Marsales, MPP Hamilton West made the
announcement today along with Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal
David Caplan.
"This
government investment will give local residents better access to a full
range of hospital services," said Marsales.
"The
province's commitment to Hamilton area hospitals is important to everyone
in our community," said Bountrogianni.
Today's announcement outlined several major
projects that will take place between now and 2009:
Construction
of a new specialized longer-term mental health facility at St. Joseph's
Healthcare, Hamilton, Centre for Mountain Health Services.
A
major redevelopment of Hamilton Health Sciences' (HHS) McMaster University
Medical Centre, to consolidate tertiary pediatric services, separate and
expand intensive-care facilities for adults and children, renovate the
Emergency Room area, construct a new ambulatory surgical centre and
provide additional capacity of up to 22 child and adolescent mental-health
beds.
Construction
at the HHS Henderson site to expand inpatient and outpatient services and
provide acute care support for the cancer centre.
Construction
at the HHS General site that will provide for consolidation of its current
Acquired Brain Injury/Rehabilitation program, providing additional
capacity of up to 44 beds and allowing the hospital to provide more
efficient ambulatory programs.
"The McGuinty government is re-building
Ontario's public infrastructure, and these projects are essential
components of our plan to modernize hospitals, reduce wait times and
upgrade medical equipment in the Hamilton area and throughout the
province," Caplan said. "Our infrastructure investments are
helping us build a stronger, healthier and more prosperous province."
"These
provincial investments will ensure people in this community have access to
the modern, effective health care they need and deserve," said George
Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
The
Government of Ontario has approved the Hamilton-area hospital
initiatives
as alternative financing and procurement projects. This means the
construction work will be financed and carried out by the private sector,
which will assume the financial risks for ensuring that the work is
finished on time and on budget. The completed facilities will be publicly
owned, controlled and accountable.
"I
commend the provincial government for their leadership in acting on the
need to improve Ontario's health care infrastructure," said Murray
Martin, president and CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences. "Our staff
take great pride in providing the highest quality of care to thousands of
patients each year.
Thanks
to today's announcement, soon we will have facilities that we can also
take pride in."
"This
commitment by our government offers St. Joseph's Healthcare an amazing
opportunity to build for the future," said Dr. Kevin Smith, president
and CEO. "This redevelopment will improve the quality of life and
care of clients we are privileged to serve and to do so with dignity and
respect. We will have the ability to retain and recruit the best and
brightest mental health professionals to work in a 'first in the world'
facility that delivers state-of-the-art services."
"The
ReNew Ontario plan will make it possible for many hospitals to
undertake
much-needed capital improvements to facilities that, across Ontario,
average 43 years old," said Hilary Short, President and CEO of the
Ontario Hospital Association. "Innovative financing models allow
hospitals to harness private-sector capital and expertise and move forward
quickly with projects that will benefit patients and their
communities."
Under
the province's ReNew Ontario infrastructure investment plan, the McGuinty
government and its partners are investing $5 billion over the next five
years to improve Ontario's health-care facilities.
