CGMH to present redevelopment updates to local Councils
It's been almost two years since the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) set out on its redevelopment journey and the hospital is now wrapping up details on the first submission to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC).
A great deal of thought, assessment and planning has gone into the process. In order to gain from every perspective, the hospital hosted three rounds of public consultation, the most recent in May/June of 2016.
Ten planning teams, comprised of 125 staff members - front line nurses, technicians, physicians and volunteers, worked from the ground up to determine the services best suited for future patient populations.
Input from healthcare providers and hospital partners was gathered through two visioning days and four Master Plan workshops, which included healthcare community partners, municipal representatives, the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (NSM LHIN) and the Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC).
At this time, final touches are now being made to the Master Program - establishing the future programs and services the hospital will offer, and the Master Plan - outlining the physical space needed, which plans where and how services will be located. These documents will be submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) on September 30, 2016, as part of the Hospital's Stage 1 A/B submission, the first of five stages on its redevelopment journey.
At the June 23, 2016 Board of Trustees meeting, the Board received a recommendation from the Facilities Planning Committee as to the preferred location for a new hospital facility - the Poplar Side Road site.
"The Board feels this is the right site, but chose not to make a final decision on the location at the June meeting. We are in unanimous agreement that community alignment continues to remain at the forefront and meetings should continue with all of the local municipalities over the summer months, as they have done. Alignment means increased probability of success for this project," says Thom Paterson, CGMH Board Chair.
At this time, two public Council deputations are set for the following dates:
Monday, August 29 at 5 p.m.
Collingwood Town Hall
Tuesday, August 30 at 9 a.m.
Wasaga Beach Town Hall
In a recent meeting with MPP Jim Wilson, former Minister of Health (MOH), Mr. Wilson confirmed his approval of the Board's approach. "I'm impressed that the Board has put off making a final decision until alignment from all four municipalities has been sought. As former MOH, I can't begin to stress how important it is that all four municipalities be in agreement on the preferred location and how this greatly improves the hospital's chances of its redevelopment project moving forward to Stage 2."
While CGMH will identify a preferred redevelopment solution, it is important to remember that it is ultimately up to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) to make a final determination, as to whether the redevelopment of CGMH will proceed and what form, including location, it will take.
For the most up-to-date redevelopment news, the public is encouraged to tune into the redevelopment portal on the main page of the hospital's website.