Stevenson Memorial Hospital will expand its services with a new addition and modern emergency department with additional funding from the Ontario government. The province announced that $6 million in funding would be invested to modernize and expand the hospital.
An article in the Barrie CTV News states that the upgrades would include the following:
- Tripling the current size of the emergency department
- New addition to the hospital
- New front entrance
- More parking
- Improving access to high-quality care for families in Simcoe County
Ontario has committed to invest $40 billion over the next 10 years to support growing demands on the health care system, including increasing capacity and expanding and renewing facilities.
Stevenson Memorial Hospital has not had any renovations since it was built in 1964.
The facility sees upwards of 40,000 patients each year and the hospital anticipates that number will grow by more than 35,000 by 2031.
Ontario News reports that to meet the needs of families as Simcoe County continues to grow, the first phase of the hospital's redevelopment will modernize and expand the emergency department to ensure that patients have access to high-quality care when they need it the most.
"Investing in the redevelopment is another way our government is building a stronger, more resilient health care system that will keep our province open. The expansion of services and new, modern spaces will ensure the hospital can provide patients and families in Simcoe County with much-needed services close to home."
Deputy Premier & Minister of Health | Christine Elliott
This expansion is in addition to expanded services that were announced in March that included:
- Expanded diagnostic and surgical services
- New birthing suite
- Space for nine new inpatient beds that would bring the number at the hospital to 47.
This investment builds on the $1 million previously invested by the government in 2019, bringing the government's total investment to $7 million to plan the hospital's new infrastructure and upgrade its facilities to better meet the needs of the communities it serves.
Stevenson Memorial Hospital has received government approval to implement this major redevelopment, meaning this important project is part of the government's 10 year capital plan. The province continues to work with Stevenson Memorial Hospital on the planning process, which includes designing the first phase of the redevelopment and assessing how the project can further help address the health care needs of patients and families in the region.
To support high-quality care in Simcoe County, the Ontario government is increasing Stevenson Memorial Hospital's operating funding for the fourth straight year. Last year, the hospital received $0.46 million in additional operating funding, representing an increase of two per cent to the operating funding the hospital received the year before.
To further support the high-quality care provided by Ontario's hospitals, the government is providing an additional $827 million to hospitals across the province, representing a four per cent increase from last year. This will ensure all publicly funded hospitals receive a minimum two per cent increase to their budgets to help them better meet patient needs while building a stronger, more resilient health care system.
As part of the government's over $1.2 billion investment to help hospital recover from financial pressures created and worsened by COVID-19, Stevenson Memorial Hospital received over $0.77 million for 2020-21 lost revenue in order to provide financial stability and support continued high-quality patient care.