New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital gets $15-million gift

The Windsor Regional Hospital sign is shown in this file photo in Windsor, Ont., Dec.5, 2012. (Melanie Borrelli / CTV Windsor)

The Solcz Family Foundation is giving a $15 million gift to the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital.

It is the largest single gift ever made in the Windsor-Essex region.

The $15 million gift will provide critical funding for equipment and technologies at the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital.

“The Solcz Family Foundation is thrilled to make this gift to the new hospital project. We are strong believers in the need to support our community. The new hospital will transform healthcare for children, youth, families and all members of the Windsor-Essex community and serve as a testament to what we can achieve when we come together with a shared purpose,” said Kyrsten Solcz, executive director of the Solcz Family Foundation.

The master plan for the new mega hospital incorporates innovations, learnings, best practices and technological advancements gleaned from the most advanced and successful hospitals in North America.

Located on a 60-acre-site, the new facility will be more than 50 per cent larger than both of Windsor Regional Hospital’s existing campuses combined.

Officials say cost savings and efficiency will be realized with less movement back and forth between hospitals and reduced duplication of caregivers and equipment.

In recognition of the Solcz family’s exceptional gift, the Family Birthing and Paediatric Care Centre, as well as the Paediatric Emergency Zone, located within the Emergency Department, will be named after the Solcz Family Foundation.

The Solcz Family Foundation Family Birthing and Paediatric Care Centre will span an entire floor of the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital and will provide best in class child and maternal care from pregnancy and delivery to neonatal and paediatric care (from a child’s birth to their 18th birthday).

The floor will include numerous spaces including, but not limited to, birthing suites, operative birthing areas, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a Maternal Outpatient Clinic, as well In-Patient and Out-Patient paediatric clinics.

The Solcz Family Foundation Paediatric Emergency Zone will be located within the Emergency Department (ED) at the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital. This specialized zone will provide care to children and youth who need urgent or emergent medical care. Having a dedicated Paediatric Emergency Zone is expected to improve the patient experiences for children and their families.

The gift to Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation was announced Monday at the site of the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital by David Musyj, current interim President & CEO of London Health Sciences Centre.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Solcz Family Foundation for their extraordinary support and leadership. A gift of this size is unprecedented in this region.” said Musyj.