Three hospitals in the London area are getting a total of just over $10 million for repairs, upgrades, and maintenance.
Elgin Middlesex London MPP Jeff Yurek made the announcement at a news conference in St. Thomas on Wednesday. He was joined by St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital President and CEO Robert Biron, London Health Sciences Centre President and CEO Dr. Paul Woods, and St. Joseph's Health Care President and CEO Dr. Gillian Kernaghan. According to Yurek, the money will allow the hospitals to make sure they offer patients the best possible environment in which to get care.
“These investments will help ensure that patients in London-St. Thomas can receive the care they need in a safe and comfortable setting,” Yurek said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. “Seemingly small things like well-functioning roofs, windows or heating and air conditioning systems, fire alarms and back-up generators can make the world of difference to a patient’s experience. This funding will help ensure that hospitals across Ontario are able to make the needed upgrades and improvements, so patients and families have access to the reliable, quality care they expect and deserve.”
The LHSC will receive approximately $6.687 million, while St. Joseph's will get $2.096million and St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital will get $1.231 million. The money comes from the province's $175 million Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund.
“Maintaining our infrastructure to ensure that our facility is in a good state of repair is a significant undertaking – it requires ongoing attention and investments,” Biron said. “For older facilities like STEGH, the HIRF program is greatly appreciated as it provides needed investments for the hospital to upgrade priority items.”