Ground has been broken on the expansion of Saugeen Memorial Hospital in Southampton.
Local leaders were joined by about 100 people to kick off the $10-million expansion of the hospital, which will include a 10,000 sq ft addition to the emergency room, as well as double the size of the laboratory areas.
Saugeen Shores Mayor Mike Smith says it's a huge day for the community to finally see a shovel in the ground, pointing out the 59-year old hospital has not been renovated in nearly 40 years.
He says the expansion should make physician recruitment an easier task, as the emergency room teetered on the brink of closure in past years because of a lack of doctors to cover shifts.
"One of the issues we've had with doctor recruitment was the state of this emergency room, it needed some serious upgrades and this is what we're going to see out of this," says Smith. "It will certainly help us get some new doctors in here."
Construction activity is slated to begin on May 16 and all hospital services will remain open during the two-year build.