Officials at Windsor Regional Hospital say they continue to have good dialogue with the Ministry of Health about a new hospital system in Windsor-Essex.
While some projects have been scaled back or even shelved by the new provincial government, WRH CEO David Musyj says they have had very positive conversations with the new health minister.
Staff in the PC government have spent the last few months learning about the estimated $2-billion project for a new acute care facility in the region.
Musyj insists the project is moving forward.
He tells CTV Windsor they are making a case for the location of a satellite emergency and urgent care centre in the downtown core.
“The goal is we're going to have satellite emergency services downtown,” says Musyj.
That proposal lists several options – including the ongoing use of the Ouellette campus, instead of a new build at the Grace site or another location downtown.
“It could start at Ouellette, it could go somewhere else, it could stay at Ouellette, so that's what we need to look at,” says Musyj. “But it's not going to leave from downtown, it's going to be there, no matter which way this moves."
Musyj says they hope to conclude those discussions in the coming months, so they can move on to planning phase of the project.
The future Regional Acute Care Hospital for Windsor-Essex would be located at County Road 42 and the 9th concession near the airport.
Infrastructure Ontario has been appointed to lead the procurement process for construction of the new hospital. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is scheduled to be issued in 2021, but that is subject to change.
The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care says the new facility will serve more than 400,000 people in the region, providing advanced acute care services designed to meet the changing health care needs of local residents.
Officials say the move of acute mental health beds to the Tayfour campus to create a regional centre of excellence for mental health will also continue to be a part of the discussion.
