Huron County council has approved a request for $500,000 for the expansion project and upgrades to the Wingham and District Hospital.
The project includes the expansion of six departments within the hospital, replacing and upgrading digital imaging equipment and the creation of a community health care campus on the site of the former Wingham Public School.
Listowel-Wingham Hospitals Alliance CEO Karl Ellis was also pleased that councillors recognized the project as an "economic development opportunity" and spoke about the optimism that's created in the community.
Ellis says small hospitals have to specialize now, and in Wingham's case, the oncology unit is the specialized service that it provides, not just for Wingham but for the entire region.
Huron county will spread its $500,000 contribution over three years.
