Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott announced on Monday the government will be investing $60 million to support the construction of a new “state-of-the-art facility dedicated to brain and mental health.”
The Garry Hurvitz Brain Sciences Centre will be built at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto.
Elliott said investing in the facility, the first of its kind in Canada, is part of the government’s plan to “end hallway health care and support innovation and integrated care.”
“This project will help bring together key services currently scattered throughout the aging hospital.”
The move is part of the provincial government’s plan to invest $27 billion over 10 years to build new infrastructure and to improve and expand existing infrastructure.
It is also a part of the Doug Ford government’s investment of $3 billion over 10 years to “develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions system,” according to a release sent on Monday.
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The project is expected to be completed by December 2022.
Elliott said the centre will bring together multiple health care professionals from across the brain sciences field, including psychiatry, neurology, imaging, neurosurgery and geriatric medicine.
The centre will also be the largest youth mental health service in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
The facility will include 12 new mental health beds, in addition to the 36 currently available, a new centre for youths suffering from bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders, as well as the largest traumatic brain injury clinic in Ontario.