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A proposal to renew the aging hospital in Wallaceburg has received provincial approval to take the next step, officials announced Friday.
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During an in-person media event at the hospital, Lambton-Kent — Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton, who also serves as minister of labor, said the announcement was a long time coming after a period of uncertainty for the large Chatham-Kent town.
McNaughton credited the efforts of Save Our Sydenham, a grassroots advocacy group, for raising its voice in support of the local hospital more than a decade ago.
“(I remember) standing shoulder to shoulder to ensure that this hospital remained open and fully functional to the people of Wallaceburg,” the MPP said. “Not only is it operating today, it’s getting an upgrade and it’s going to be a new hospital.”
With the Ministry of Health approving the Chatham-Kent hospital’s Stage 1 proposal submission, the planning process can now begin for the next phase.
During this second stage of the process, detailed design planning, specifications and estimates will be created. There will also be public engagement, along with a community commitment to supporting the local share of costs.
The design will focus on the emergency department and medical beds, diagnostic imaging and laboratory. Following the submission of these plans, the project will require Health Ministry approval to move forward to the next stage.
“This new hospital is not just for us here today, but for generations of families to come,” McNaughton said.
Currently, the Wallaceburg hospital provides:
• 24-hour emergency department;
• five inpatient beds adjacent to the emergency department;
• ambulatory care, including specialty clinics;
• diagnostic imaging, including radiology and ultrasound;
• respiratory therapy;
• physiotherapy; and
• laboratory services.
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The redevelopment project began in 2018 with the ministry approving a replacement power plant, with a total project cost estimated at $ 8.1 million dollars. The province’s grant of up to $ 7.3 million funding went towards the construction of a new plant to replace aging equipment with new boilers, generators and electrical distribution equipment.
The balance of that cost came from hospital funds allocated for the project. Completion of the power plant is expected early in the new year.
Speaking to media after Friday’s announcement, Lori Marshall, the president and CEO of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, said the estimated price tag for the redeveloped site was pegged at $ 25 million in 2019, a figure that has since changed.
“We’ll have to re-cost everything once the detailed planning is completed,” she said.
Marshall, who called the announcement “gratifying,” added the hospital group still needs to figure out what the upcoming community engagement will look like.
She described the hospital – now more than six decades old – as a health-care hub for Wallaceburg, providing a wide array of services.
“This community, when it is galvanized for a common goal, there’s nothing that we can’t do,” she said. “(Engagement) will likely be everything from surveys going out, some focus groups. … I think there will be all kinds of different ways that we can get feedback from the community. ”
There is currently no timeframe as to when construction at the site could begin since the approval process is ongoing.
However, McNaughton reiterated the Progressive Conservative government’s support of the hospital.
“The commitment is to get shovels in the ground as quickly as possible,” he said. “It takes time to get it right, and that’s what we want to do.”