The President and CEO of the Listowel Wingham Hospital Alliance is excited about the recent announcement that the province and Ministry of Health have given the go ahead for major upgrades at the Listowel Memorial Hospital.
The project is in the very early stages, and Esther Millar says it's an exciting time for the LWHA.
"Very, very happy and very grateful for this development. It's a big step in terms of ensuring that our hospitals can continue to provide an important role in the healthcare system, and making sure we have the capacity, both now and in the future," Millar said.
Millar adds that the Ministry of Health is working with the LWHA and Listowel Memorial Hospital to complete early planning for the project.
In terms of what is being looked at for upgrades, the plan is to make some significant upgrades in some key areas of the hospital, including the emergency department, where Millar says they're seeing volumes that are larger than what the original space was designed for.
"The volumes that we're seeing there are 60 per cent larger than what we anticipated and designed the space for. We're also looking at our inpatient units, as well, and our mother-baby unit," Millar pointed out.
The ambulatory care and outpatient areas are also being looked at as part of the project. Millar notes there are two parts to planning this. One is determining what they need in terms of modernization and expansion of spaces, but there is another key factor, too.
"The site is quite landlocked in Listowel, so we need to determine the expansions that we would need, can they be done at this site? And if not, what are our options? So there's lots of questions to be answered in this phase of the proposal," added Millar.
When the project is finished eventually, Millar says it will mean a greater access to faster, modern and efficient healthcare in the area.