Hospital redevelopment approved; city contributes $60m
Budget & Corporate Services Comm. Aug. 30, 9:30am, City Hall
Artist’s rendering of Burlington’s Joseph Brant Hospital redevelopment and expansion
Our community hospital has gotten the green light to proceed with a redevelopment that will improve access and patient care for residents. This summer, the province approved a redevelopment for Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital to provide:
- 76 more beds
- 10 new operating rooms
- a new intensive care unit
- larger, enhanced cancer unit
- more parking
- new diagnostic imaging and laboratory areas
- expanded outpatient surgical suite
Provincial funding formulas for all hospitals require that the community pay for 100% of equipment, and 10% of capital costs. This is called the “local share.” On a project this size – more than $300 million – the local share is $120m.
Half of that will be raised by the hospital foundation through community donations. In 2010, city council committed to the other half – $60m – and began a special tax levy to raise the funds. So far $4.8m has been collected.
The fact that our local share is in place contributed to achieving our approval.
A preliminary contribution schedule calls for $7.5 million annually from the city from 2012-2015, and $15 million in each of 2016 & 2017. Read more in the city’s report here and Appendices here coming to the Budget & Corporate Services Committee Aug. 30, 9:30am.
Click links to watch a three-part video series on the redevelopment:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
My take: The approval is welcome and long awaited news for our community. As a citizen member of the hospital board of governors since 2008, and now the city council representative on the board, I know the importance of this redevelopment for the health of our residents. Our hospital is a priority for our community. To meet our funding commitment will require an evaluation of all spending, with a focus on core activities. It’s a privilege to be part of making the redevelopment happen – a once in a generation experience that hundreds of residents, staff and community leaders have worked to achieve. My thanks to all involved – this is the first step in a journey to better health for Burlington.
August 25, 2011 @ 6:11 pm
Marianne:
My biggest concern at the Hospital is the number of people in the Emergency Ward waiting for treatment for problems that should be dealt with in a clinic. People who are genuinly sick but not involved in a traffic accident, had a hearft attack or other such injuries that should be treated at a hospital where they are left sitting for hours in Emergency Rooms. Instead there should be a facility as there are around town called a Clinic at the Hospital. This would allow people who need Emergency Treatment to get it in the Emergency Department and the rest (who deserve the same consideration) receive treatment in the Clinic.
If this isn’t possible at the hospital set up a shuttle service to a local Clinic.