Brantford General, Willett hospital in Paris to share $2.5M in funding from Ontario for redevelopment

More beds and services are coming to a pair of Brant County hospitals as part of $2.5 million in funding from the Ontario government.

The Ford government said the cash will “upgrade and expand” Brantford General (BGH) and Willett Hospital in Paris.

“Decades of inaction and underfunding by previous governments left the people of Ontario vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Premier Doug Ford said in a release on Wednesday.

The money will increase the combined number of beds offered by the two hospitals to 384 from 310.

The Brantford General redevelopment will include a new patient care tower and expansion of capacity for intensive care, rehabilitation and complex continuing care, and ambulatory services.

The Willett site will see outdated infrastructure replaced with new tech including a new satellite dialysis unit, expanded urgent care centre, chronic disease management clinic, and upgraded transition care for patients.

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“This investment will help the hospital to meet the growing demands of the communities it serves and ensure patients and their families will have access to high-quality care and services they need for generations to come,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

The funding comes a little over a week after the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) launched a petition for permission to redevelop Brantford General Hospital.

Advocacy for the expansion began in February after BCHS suggested its facilities were not equipped to accommodate the community’s current growth.

The agency says about 78,000 patients seek out care at BGH’s emergency department and Willett’s urgent care centre in a given year.

Construction is expected to begin as early as 2024.