Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) is well on its way to creating an expansion that it says will help enhance local care.
The west Windsor hospital launched its Imagine Campaign on Wednesday afternoon, which will raise money for the completion of the new Toldo Outpatient Rehabilitation Centre.
The total price tag for the project is $8.3-million, and the Toldo Foundation is contributing $1.5-million.
HDGH President and CEO Bill Marra said the expansion will allow the hospital to keep doing what it does best.
"We see over 15,000 patients a year in this one program, and this outpatient program is really a game-changing opportunity for people to come through, perhaps, catastrophic events, and who have been hospitalized due to injuries," said Marra. "It's a very important rehab centre for the Windsor-Essex region."
Care will be provided by physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and certified rehab assistants.
Marra added that it was important that the funding come from local donors, some of whom have already come through.
"We go to government when there's a business case to build," said Marra. "For example, a new hospital. When you're raising $8.3-million to build a rehab centre like we are, I think you have to be realistic about going to government, the right time to do it, and the right time not to do it. So, in this case, it's community-based."
Campaign chair Dave Cassidy said his goal is to let the region know that once the addition is complete, HDGH will be the key place for specialty medicine.
"You'll see the facility, you'll see what we do here," said Cassidy. "There are a lot of people who don't understand what we do here, and I think the awareness is important. If somebody's needing to get into their car, we teach them how to get into their car. We rehab people."
Construction on the addition has begun.
-with files from Maureen Revait