$30-million to expand vital services at Windsor Regional Hospital

Some long-awaited funding has arrived for Windsor Regional Hospital.

While plans continue to move forward for the new acute care hospital for the region, the current, aging facility is getting approximately $30-million in provincial funding for improved cancer and cardiac treatment. Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement in Windsor on Thursday. Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj in Windsor, Ont., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. (Michelle Maluske/CTV News Windsor)

"Thank you to the Ford government for moving these important projects forward for our hospital and most importantly for the cardiac and cancer patients we serve in our region,” said hospital president and CEO David Musyj. “These are long-awaited developments for Windsor-Essex promised a decade or more ago which, along with recent approval to expedite the process to a new state-of-the-art acute care hospital for our region, will modernize and vastly improve our goal of providing timely and efficient access to quality care."Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones at Windsor Regional Hospital in Windsor, Ont., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. (Michelle Maluske/CTV News Windsor)

The money will be used to renovate the cardiac catheterization lab — where patients receive angiograms, angioplasties and other minimally invasive cardiac tests and procedures.

Funds will also be used to expand the cancer centre and accommodate a new linear accelerator, which provides cancer patients with necessary radiation therapy treatment.

Patients have had to travel to London or across the border for urgent procedures, but the funding will allow for a second catheterization table.

“Right now we're doing over 2000 (cardiac procedures per year) So you know, double it. Maybe not as high as that but pretty close,” said Musyj. 

Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the benefits of the investment will transfer over to the new Windsor-Essex hospital.

“So the equipment that is happening and being announced today will be transferred, transferred over to the new site,” said Sylvia Jones.

Cardiac survivor and advocate Mike Jones said he suffered a heart attack in 2008 that resulted in him requiring the emergency services of the current single table cardiac catheterization suite in Windsor.

“It's just testament to the great work being done by the folks over there at the cath lab. These are outstanding professionals with providing compassionate, outstanding care. And I think once they get this new equipment in there, they're going to be working miracles in this community that we're going to see great things happen. So it's a very, very exciting time,” said Mike Jones.

Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens said for so long people in Windsor have heard the comment that Ontario stops at London, but with the announcement, that will no longer be the case.

“How long it took from the time it was announced almost 10 years ago to the time of delivery by this government, said Dilkens. “What this community has gone through and for patients who have to go to Detroit to get treatment that will no longer have to be the case for patients who had to drive up to 401 to get treatment in London.”

Ford said it’s long overdue.

“I have to tell you, the people of Windsor were ignored,” said Ford. “For decades. There was a lot of talk down here but nothing was getting done.”

With files from CTV Windsor's Michelle Maluske