Hospital Board hears of future plans, public consultations

By Mark Ribble

The Erie Shores HealthCare Board of Directors held an open meeting on September 10, introducing a new Master Plan for future development and announcing upcoming public consultations within the hospital’s catchment area.

The Master Plan Submission offered four options for board members to zero in on to address the hospital’s current site.

The four options included: 1. Maximum Re-use of Existing Facilities, 2. Hybrid On-Site, Phased redevelopment, 3. New build on existing (expanded) site, 4. New build on a new site.

After discussion, the board chose to go with option 3, which was chosen as the preferred redevelopment strategy that will be submitted to the Ministry of Health. The pre-capital submission highlights the need for over 400,000 square feet of new construction, which wouldn’t take place until sometime between 2035 and 2040.

Public Open Houses will be held across the catchment area and are not just about the future, but also about understanding the community’s current needs.

Local consultations for the public will be held at Leamington Town Hall (October 21, 4-6 pm) and Kingsville Arena (November 6, 4-6 pm).

Erie Shores HealthCare President and CEO Kristin Kennedy was happy to present such a plan that spells out the future for Leamington’s hospital.

“The leadership team and Board of Directors wants to be able to highlight to the community, our confidence in building a 30-50 year plan for Erie Shores HealthCare and its footprint in Windsor Essex County for the future,” she said. 

The Master Plan Choice and the Public Open Houses are both part of the Erie Shores 2050 Plan, which is the cornerstone of ESHC’s long-term vision for Essex County’s healthcare needs.

The ESHC Research team has also received $24,856 from the Ministry of Health Seniors Community Grant Program and $19,800 for the WESPARK Igniting Discovery Grant program to research the creation of culturally safe nutrition counselling plan for Indigenous older adults with Type 2 Diabetes.

And last but not least, the Board learned that a former patient’s family, who has asked to remain anonymous, has pledged one million dollars to improve the patient experience at the hospital. 

The money will be used toward the redevelopment of a patient wing. Specific plans for the redevelopment are in the early stages.