It’s been over two years since Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital introduced the event challenge of a brand new hospital in Waterloo Area.
The hospitals submitted a joint proposal to the Ontario authorities in June of 2022 after they consulted with employees, the neighborhood and well being system companions like Cambridge Memorial Hospital and the KW4 Ontario Well being Crew.
The proposal included particulars on developing a brand new, state-of-the-art hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo with round 1,200 beds, in addition to plans to repurpose the present location of Grand River Hospital.
On Monday, native officers, alongside Premier Doug Ford, introduced the brand new hospital’s location could be constructed on vacant land on the College of Waterloo’s campus.
As for the way lengthy the constructing course of will take, the completion of the brand new hospital is anticipated within the subsequent 10 to fifteen years.
Right here’s a glance again at a number of the challenge’s key moments:
June 2022: Planning acquired underway for a brand new hospital within the area. Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s Basic Hospital submitted a proposal to the provincial authorities for a state-of-the-art hospital with round 1,200 beds.
As a part of the plan, Grand River Hospital could be repurposed as an ambulatory and pressing care centre. Grand River Hospital’s Freeport Campus could be modernized and expanded for rehabilitation companies.
The way forward for the St. Mary’s Hospital web site hadn’t been determined.
The announcement got here after the Ontario authorities promised to take a position $5 million into the planning course of.
March 2023: Grand River and St. Mary’s hospitals begun the method to determine a web site to construct the proposed new joint hospital.
July 2023: The teambehind theproject requested the general public for suggestions about the place the ability needs to be positioned. The 2 hospitals launched a web based survey to listen to from residents.
The survey questions requested in regards to the significance of journey time to the hospital, the quantity of parking and proximity to public transit.
The hospitals additionally introduced the collection of a five-person panel who could be main efforts to determine a web site.
January 9, 2024: The panel in control of recommending the situation for the brand new hospital introduced three websites had been shortlisted and could be evaluated.
5 proposals have been obtained from property house owners. Of these, three met the standards – together with being not less than 50 acres in measurement – to maneuver on to part two.
The shortlisted websites have been evaluated on standards together with proximity to present or future inhabitants density, main roads, transit stations and facilities. The price of buying the land was additionally considered, together with its measurement, as greater websites will rating greater.
January 17, 2024: St. Mary’s and Grand River Hospitals invited the general public to a city corridor assembly to debate the way forward for the brand new hospital.
April 2024: The 2 hospitals mentioned they’d be trying to merge right into a single new hospital group by the spring of 2025.
The hospitals mentioned a due diligence course of relating to the small print of the merge would get underway together with session with the Ontario Ministry of Well being.
The hospitals had been companions for over 20 years and believed a merger would make it simpler for sufferers to entry care.
The hospitals mentioned they’d be working towards one senior management crew together with one CEO.
Might 10, 2024: The group chargeable for selecting a possible web site for the brand new hospital narrowed down the checklist to 2.
“To ensure a fair negotiation process, the site locations and landowners will not be shared until land has been secured,” the five-person Web site Choice Panel mentioned in a media launch.
They added that negotiations may take a number of months.
Might 31, 2024: Grand River Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital and the College of Waterloo joined forces for the Care Subsequent Coalition in an effort to permit the hospitals and the colleges to pool sources to help analysis.
June 2024: The 2 Kitchener hospitals collected suggestions by way of a neighborhood city corridor and public survey to work out the small print of the upcoming merger.
July 2024: Native officers and Premier Doug Ford introduced the brand new hospital’s web site on the David Johnston Analysis + Expertise Park (R+T Park).
