The president and CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital has reiterated the need for a new acute-care hospital.
David Musyj provided a capital planning update to the WRH board of directors Thursday night during the board's first meeting after their summer break. In the update, Musyj cited the Ontario government's plan to spend about $17 billion on hospital infrastructure renewal as part of their promise to end "hallway healthcare".
Speaking exclusively to BlackburnNewsWindsor.com, Musyj discussed how Tecumseh Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti rose at the recent Association of Municipalities of Ontario (ACM) Conference in Ottawa to ask Health Minister Christine Elliott how the $17 billion will be prioritized in relation to the new Windsor-Essex mega-hospital.
"The minister said 'Well, it's based upon patient safety issues or concerns,'" said Musyj. "So what I tried to highlight is the state of disrepair our buildings are in. And they're aged. They're tired. They've provided great service but we desperately need a new hospital in Windsor-Essex."
Photographs were shown depicting recent challenges to both the Metropolitan and Ouellette campuses, including flooding, hydro failure, often-temperamental heating and cooling systems, and cramped patient spaces that were limited in privacy.
The board viewed diagrams of both the Metropolitan and Ouellette campuses, which showed when each portion was built or most recently updated. For example, two sections of the Met Campus are in the original 1927 buildings. Musyj added that the Ouellette Campus, which last saw a major renovation in the 1960s, has a provincial superlative.
"We have some of the oldest inpatient floors in the whole province of Ontario," said Musyj. "For a hospital that's providing the level of services we're providing, be it trauma, neurosurgery, stroke, cardiac... that's not [right]."
The hospital project is currently in the second of a five-stage process, said Musyj, and they are awaiting $9 million from the province to continue that work. Barring any legal challenges, Musyj said the best-case scenario is to have the new acute-care hospital open by the fall of 2025.