The head of Windsor Regional Hospital believes planning for the new Windsor-Essex Acute Care Hospital will be a major focus in 2022.
David Musyj, President and CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital, says the community will be hearing a lot about the active planning over the first six months of the new year.
"We're building something that's going to be with us for decades to come, so our goal is to build it correctly," says Musyj. "It's pretty exciting, a massive investment in our community, billions of dollars - so we're going to do it right."
He says the community will have a chance to add their voice on some of the things that should be part of the new hospital.
"At the end of the day, it's their hospital," he says. "It's going to be getting their involvement, if they're interested - in areas like critical care, cancer {care} or renal dialysis - that they can have a voice and they can be heard."
Musyj says a Project Management Team is currently being assembled with a lot of expertise in planning for brand new hospitals.
The Ontario government announced Oct. 18 that $9.8-million was being made available as part of Stage 2 funding to support planning for a new state-of-the-art hospital, just off County Road 42 and the 9th Concession.
Musyj says Infrastructure Ontario is engaged in the project and individuals assigned to the project.
"Their job is to build and construct, be it roadways or hospitals, and other public sector infrastructure," says Musyj. "So they're on the project and we look forward to working with them. So it is going to be a reality. Again, it is going to have bumps in the road between now and the time the shovel is in the ground, and even after the shovel is in the ground."
Planned services at the proposed hospital will include cancer care, complex trauma, obstetrics, neurology and cardiology.
The new hospital will also have more single-patient rooms to increase patient privacy and prevent the spread of infection. Urgent care and outpatient services will remain at Windsor Regional Hospital's Ouellette site to preserve access for patients and their families in downtown Windsor.