Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj at a townhall meeting at Windsor's Waterfront Hotel put on by the Downtown Windsor BIA on November 11, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj at a townhall meeting at Windsor's Waterfront Hotel put on by the Downtown Windsor BIA on November 11, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Windsor

Musyj Tackling Mega-Hospital Misinformation

Windsor Regional Hospital President and CEO David Musyj is looking to clear the air when it comes to the new mega hospital.

Musyj says there is a lot of misinformation and he wants to correct it with a new campaign that will include a stronger social media presence, pamphlets and community outreach.

"Inaccurate information; that's terrible to make a decision based upon that," says Musyj. "It's resulted in, historically outside of our organization, some bad decisions."

Musyj says the most common misconception is that the new hospital will have fewer beds than the current hospitals.  He says that's false.  The new hospital will have the same 500 beds that are in the city now with a 200 bed expansion also planned.

Musyj doesn't want bad information to scare the community into backing away from the project — or else the region may miss out on getting a new hospital for many more years.

"There are multiple jurisdictions looking for the same thing we're looking for, but there's a finite amount of money," says Musyj. "[The province] is going to move forward those projects where they see that the community is in support of it."

He feels there is a vocal minority that continually comes up with misleading and incorrect information about the new hospital plan.

"I think if you look at some of the blogs no matter what the issue is, even not involving the new hospital, it's generally similar individuals that are commenting," says Musyj. "It's unfortunate; they are generally negative."

Another point Musyj addressed is the proposed hospital's location near Windsor Airport. He says the location won't see the city core abandoned.  A  $300-million investment bringing an urgent care centre is part of the deal.  It would provide downtown residents with emergency room service.

Musyj encourages anyone with questions about the new hospital to visit windsorhospitals.ca — or to even call him — for more information.

Musyj is hoping to hear back from the province in the next few months to determine if the Windsor proposal is able to move on to the next phase.

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