Chatham-Kent Health Alliance officials say Ontario is investing in healthcare in southwestern Ontario with a $7.3-million grant that will pave the way for critical upgrades at CKHA’s Wallaceburg site.
Hospital officials say the province’s funding will pay for construction of a new power plant to replace aging equipment with new boilers, generators and electrical distribution equipment.
The Replacement Power Plant Project marks the beginning of a phased approach to redeveloping the Wallaceburg site to meet the community’s needs for years to come, hospital officials say.
The new power plant will support the following services as part of the hospital’s redevelopment plan:
– 24 hour emergency department
– 5 inpatient beds
– Ambulatory Care including specialty clinics
– Diagnostic imaging including radiology and ultrasound
– Respiratory therapy
– Physiotherapy
– Laboratory services
“This is the first major building block for the hospital’s redevelopment,” stated Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development and MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, in a media release.
“This is something very close to my heart. We’re committed to the highest level of care and service for the communities of Wallaceburg, north Kent, and south Lambton.”
Rick Nicholls, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington said this is an exciting step in local health care delivery at CKHA’s Wallaceburg site.
“The construction of the replacement power plant is the backbone to ensuring service delivery for this community into the future and is another example of how the province is supporting high-quality and timely access to health care,” Nicholls said in a media release.
Hospital officials say the Wallaceburg site expansion is part of the province’s plan to update hospital infrastructure in Chatham-Kent and follows an earlier $1.5 million grant to replace old heating and cooling distribution equipment.
“Today’s celebration reiterates our mission that CKHA is one team, two sites serving Chatham and rural Kent,” stated Greg Aarssen, Board Chair for CKHA, in a media release.
“We are pleased to officially welcome construction crews to begin this important work. There is much to look forward to with the redevelopment of this site and the future of health care delivery for the patients we will serve.”
The power plant should be completed in 2021 with minimal disruption to patient services.
“We know CKHA’s Wallaceburg site is important to many community members and plays a significant role in health care delivery to the surrounding area,” stated Lori Marshall, president and CEO at CKHA, in a media release.
“This is a milestone occasion for us and the community; it marks the first step towards our renewal of services and reaffirms our commitment to program and service delivery at this site.”
Watch for more on this story.
