The C-E-O of the Listowel-Wingham Hospitals Alliance has asked Huron County council for $800-thousand to go toward renovations and upgrades to the Wingham and District Hospital.
Karl Ellis explains that part of the renovation reflects the shift over the past few years from in-patient care to ambulatory care. They don't need as many beds as they once did, but they need more space for clinics and specialists so patients can be treated and sent home the same day.
Ellis adds the other big change is the construction of a new oncology department that would serve residents of Huron and South Bruce. Those patients now have to travel to either Owen Sound, Stratford, or London.
Huron County council has asked staff to prepare a report on the funding request, so it can be part of the 2016 budget discussion. The total cost of the Wingham hospital project is estimated to be about four million dollars.
