Thursday is opening day for the new Emergency Department at the Southampton Hospital.
The addition includes 12 treatment rooms to care for the estimated 17,000 patients who visit the Emergency Department every year. The main entrance to the hospital is from High Street.
This is just Phase 1 of a bigger project. Phase 2 is a 10,000 sq ft renovation, which will see the hospital Laboratory double in size, and includes a new space for the Auxiliary Gift Shop.
Work on that phase has already begun and will be finished in late 2018.
The total project will cost approximately $10-million, with the provincial government contributing 90% and the remaining 10% coming through the Hospital Foundation from the community.
"The new ER looks great. It will allow staff and physicians to more efficiently serve our current volume of patients, and it provides room to meet the future needs of our growing communities," said Dr. David Billings, chief of ER at the Southampton Hospital. "The ER, together with the new lab, will also help us attract new healthcare workers to the area."
Bruce Power is the largest contributor at $500,000.
"This is a very exciting day for Grey Bruce Health Service and a significant boost to healthcare services in Saugeen Shores," said Lance Thurston, president and CEO of GBHS. "We are extremely grateful to the community and the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation for supporting this project."