New hospital in the works for Kitchener-Waterloo

KITCHENER, Ont. – Community members are being invited to have a say in the future location for a new joint hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo. Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital recently assembled a five-member Site Selection Panel of skilled professionals who are leading the efforts to identify a preferred site for the new hospital.

The Panel is seeking input from the community, hospital teams, partners, municipalities, and subject matter experts on the draft site selection criteria that will be finalized and used by the Panel as it evaluates potential sites.

“This is an exciting opportunity for people across our community to help shape the future of healthcare in our region. The location of the future hospital that will be shared by Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital is going to have a significant impact on how we continue to deliver exceptional patient care and help our community grow and prosper. We encourage community members to provide their input as part of this process,” said Ron Gagnon (pictured), president and CEO, Grand River Hospital.

Interested community members can provide input through an online public survey on what is important to them when it comes to identifying a site for a new hospital. The survey will be open until August 3rd on the Building the Future of Care Together project website. The survey is available to complete in English, French, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, and Punjabi.

The Panel will also be reaching out to hospital teams, municipalities, care groups, subject matter experts and others to get input on the criteria.

Anyone interested in the site selection process can also provide input or ask questions at any time by e-mailing info@futureofcaretogether.ca. All input on the criteria will be collected and provided to the Panel for consideration.

“Listening to our community is crucial to the success of this project. We want to hear from everyone touched by the healthcare we deliver – patients, team members who work in our existing sites, municipal partners, business leaders – so that the future hospital we build serves your needs in the best way possible. We have a strong vision for the future of health care in our region. Together, we can make it even better with input from all in our community,” said Mark Fam, president, St. Mary’s General Hospital.

The Panel’s work is being supported by the necessary technical and subject matter expertise and an independent Fairness Advisor to make the best decision for the community.

The Panel will make its recommendation on a preferred site for the new hospital to the Building the Future of Care Together (BFCT) Committee and the Boards of Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital by the end of 2023.

This site selection process is being overseen by the BFCT Committee, a subcommittee of the hospitals’ boards comprised of members with broad representation across both hospitals and the Waterloo Region community. The BFCT Committee reports into Grand River Hospital’s Board of Directors and St. Mary’s General Hospital’s Board of Trustees, which are made up of dedicated community members.

The new hospital is a key piece of a broader proposal before the Ministry of Health to modernize and expand infrastructure and services to support a growing number of patients and their families in Waterloo Region and beyond.

In addition to a new hospital, St. Mary’s General Hospital and Grand River Hospital are also proposing to renew and repurpose two existing hospital sites:

• The midtown Kitchener-Waterloo Campus would be transformed into an ambulatory and urgent care centre; and
• The Freeport Campus in Kitchener would be modernized and expanded to increase the region’s rehabilitation capacity.

All three sites would be shared by both Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital.

Updates on the site selection process and opportunities to provide feedback can be found on the Building the Future of Care Together website, futureofcaretogether.ca. Comments and questions can be sent to info@futureofcaretogether.ca.