They've got the land, now the people behind the new acute care hospital in Windsor-Essex want you to help design it.
Stage Two planning for the new mega-hospital is well underway, thanks to millions of dollars in funding from the Ontario government. As part of the process, a series of design principles have been laid out. Residents are being asked for their input on how the new hospital should be designed.
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj said that the design principles were created by the committee overseeing the hospital planning, with feedback from hospital staff, professional staff, patients, and the community.
"We want to integrate the community’s vision for the new Windsor-Essex Acute Care Hospital into the project right from the beginning, starting with the design principles," said Musyj in a media release. "This is the first of many opportunities individuals will have to share their thoughts and provide input throughout the process, including opportunities to provide input on specific program and services areas as work progresses."
A brief online survey has been created, which will ask residents what kind of design elements they would like to see, and why.
The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and is open through December 10. If you don't have internet access, you can leave a voicemail with your thoughts by calling (519) 254-5577, ext. 37922.
The land on County Road 42 was purchased in October 2020, with Windsor City Council signing off on the project the following month.
Premier Doug Ford officially announced last month that the provincial government had approved the $9.8-million funding for Stage Two planning. Ford has expressed the government's belief that the hospital is Windsor-Essex's top infrastructure priority.
The Stage Two funding comes after years of public discussion about the hospital location, and a series of failed legal battles by the grassroots group Citizens for an Accountable Mega-Hospital Planning Process (CAMPP). CAMPP said the planned site is a mistake since it is too far away from Windsor's core.