Bluewater Health is asking Lambton County for a million dollars a year for ten years to help fund capital projects including the possible construction of a helicopter pad at its Sarnia site.
An air ambulance landing area was one of five key projects outlined in a grant request Wednesday morning.
Communications Chief Julia Oosterman said the hospital is already engaging in visibility studies.
"We've been starting our chats with stakeholders, some of the local interested parties, we also have a whole bunch of hoops to jump through, understandably, with Transport Canada and Ornge," said Oosterman. "The next part of the process after that, once we actually have some of those specifics, we don't have them yet, we'll be working with the county, and the City of Sarnia, and neighbours."
If approved, the county's share of the $30.1 million capital investment would be a third with $800,000 designated to the helicopter pad.
"So, at this point, the studies have begun and we're weighing the impacts, versus the benefits, and the potentiality of even having a helipad. Does it make sense for Sarnia-Lambton. We're working with Lambton EMS, we're looking at the benefits to care, what the costs would be, what the impact would be on human resources. We will be in the position to communicate more information as we know more in the months to come."
The other key projects include: directing $3 million to a regional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), $10 million to the Residential Withdrawal Management Program, $10.6 million to the initial phase of Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital redevelopment, and $5.6 million for cancer care redevelopment.
"It's a bit of a chess game, in that we have to plan long-term for where we want to be. Some of these processes take a while, as people know," said Oosterman.
County council has forwarded the request to the 2021 budget deliberations for consideration.
