The stroke of midnight on Tuesday marked the end of a significant chapter in the history of Brockville General Hospital, one in which it was operated by a provincially appointed supervisor for a period of 18 months.
“Look at it from a head office/branch perspective,” said Jim Cooper, Brockville General Hospital Board chair. “Head office wasn’t real happy with how the branch was running, so they sent someone to help us get back on track.”
That someone is the now-retired Kevin Empey. During his 18 months in Brockville, he was able to sort out the hospital’s finances. The hospital has now produced its first balanced budget in 15 years, and is on track for balance in yet another next year.
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“We owe Kevin a lot,” Cooper said. “He has the knowledge of how hospitals operate in many different communities.”
With its finances in order, Brockville General has been able to speed up the timeline on Phase 2 of its capital redevelopment project.
A new parking lot is being constructed on the opposite side of Charles Street, and a new tower will eventually be built where the current parking lot sits. That tower will be home to 93 new beds to service areas of palliative care, mental health care and complex long-term care.
“We’re quite excited about that,” said Brockville General president and CEO, Nick Vlacholias. “We’ll (also) be able to consolidate all of our hospital services into one site.”
The second phase of the capital redevelopment project is expected to wrap up in the latter part of 2020. The hospital says by then it will be looking to hire new nurses and support staff to accommodate the growing needs of the community.
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