The hospital’s recently completed Master Program/Master Plan calls for 6,600 square feet of space to be added to the Emergency Department’s current 10,000 square feet just to meet the needs of the department today. The plan takes it a step further and also maps out growth of more than 160,000 square feet (almost double the size of the Midland site) for the hospital to support the needs of projected population growth in the communities it serves.

The Master Program and Master Plan are requirements of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) for hospitals seeking approval of capital construction projects. The hospital undertook to complete those documents and a business case for the redevelopment of the Emergency Department in January 2010.

The Emergency Department redevelopment was at the centre of the Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation’s Our Best Care Campaign that kicked off in 2005 and saw the community contribute $2.1 million. The County of Simcoe will add $2.7 million in support.

The Master Program/Master Plan was developed using current population data for the north west area of the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN that was projected out for the next five, 10 and 20 years. The health care needs of the projected population were the topics of visioning workshops attended by the hospital’s managers, team leaders, physician leaders and board members. Those workshops fed the Master Program document which is the document that looks at how all 32 departments at the hospital will grow and focuses in on what the hospital will be by 2030.

The Emergency Department was the catalyst for the planning project and while the evidence for growth in all other areas is clear, Emergency will be the phase one priority, Paul Heinrich, CEO said.

“The work we have completed will help to write the Business Case to ask for approval to proceed with the Emergency Department project and it also means we will be ready to get right back in line to start the approval process for the other growth areas,” Mr. Heinrich said. “We are hopeful the approval comes quickly as we already have $4.7 million of our own funds to get it underway and we have been working in a department that is already grossly undersized to serve the number of patients we have.”

The hospital, Mr. Heinrich added, is also taking this opportunity to position itself to be able to accommodate and deliver new programs such as acute mental health and addictions if the acute beds currently housed at the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene are divested to general hospitals.

The next steps for the Emergency project include submitting the Master Program/Master Plan and Business Case to the LHIN and the Ministry by the end of September. That will put the hospital on this round of capital considerations at the Ministry level in January.

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Contact: Jackie McLauchlin-Welch

Director, Communications & Engagement

GBGH

526-1300 ext 3136

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