For a couple of years now, plans have been underway to build a new hospital in Waterloo Region.
With the region expected to grow to one million over the next 30 years, the two Kitchener hospitals, Grand River and St Mary’s General, were provided with $5 million to launch plans for a new hospital in the area.
While the area will grow by hundreds of thousands over the coming decades, the number of hospitals in the area will remain the same.
A spokesperson for the hospitals told Global News that when the new hospital opens in Waterloo, St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener will be shuttered.
“This will not happen until the new university hospital site opens. At that time, all hospital services will cease at St. Mary’s Queen’s Blvd. location,” they told Global News in an email.
“St. Joseph’s Health System, of which St. Mary’s is a part, will be engaging with Waterloo Region communities to determine both the future of this site and the future of Catholic health care in Waterloo Region.”
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A few months ago, the two Kitchener hospitals announced they would be merging into one in an effort to make it easier for patients to access care.
The pair have been hand in hand for decades and have also been working on the plans for a new hospital for a couple of years.
On Monday, it was announced that the new hospital would be located on grounds owned by the University of Waterloo west of Bearinger Road and Hagey Boulevard.
The hospital spokesperson said the new hospital would increase the number of beds in the area beyond what is currently offered by the two hospitals as well as the Freeport campus of GRH in Kitchener. This increase would be in spite of the closure of SMGH.
However, it will be a decade before the new hospital opens and SMGH closes as the hospitals say it will be five years of planning and five years of construction.
The spokesperson told Global News the planning time is rounded up and includes more than just the plans to build the hospital as it also accounts for procurement and tendering.
When the new hospital does open its doors, it will bring about a number of other changes as well as Grand River Hospital will become an ambulatory and urgent care centre, while the Freeport Campus is expected to offer increased rehabilitation services and emergency care.
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