Frequently Asked Questions
About the Project
- Acute care services are currently divided between hospital campuses resulting in the fragmentation of services and ongoing challenges with patient transfers and patient flow across two sites.
- The current facilities do not have adequate space to accommodate new and emerging health care technology and current standards of care.
- The current hospitals are outdated, undersized and cannot accommodate current patient volumes or future service needs. The medical/surgical floors and emergency departments are less than half the size they should be using current standards which results in smaller patient rooms, cramped hallways and limited capacity for storage.
- The current facilities make infection control challenging. Eighty percent of rooms in new Ontario hospitals must be designed for single patients to limit the spread of infections. Right now only 29% of rooms at WRH's Met Campus and 16% of the rooms at the Ouellette Campus are private.
- The current facilities do not support the needs of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Windsor Campus, and our other partners in education.
- With more modern facilities, we will be in an even better position to recruit and retain top physicians, front line staff and medical leaders, and in turn, advance the practices and services available to patients.
- The Ouellette Campus is the site of the trauma centre, but air ambulances cannot land there, mostly due to flight patterns and because it was not designed to withstand the weight of a helicopter landing.
- There are accessibility issues for patients, visitors and staff at the current locations due to "land locked" locations and inadequate space for parking.
- Hundreds of millions of dollars will be required to redevelop the existing infrastructure. Building a new acute care facility is less costly than renovating the existing facilities.
- We are planning for the future. Not only when the hospital opens, but also 20, 30, 40 and 50 years from now.Ground breaking for the project is still years away and expected to begin in 2027. In the meantime, our current facilities will continue to become more and more antiquated compared to new hospital standards.
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WATCH: This video takes us inside both WRH hospital campuses for a close up look at some of the oldest hospital infrastructures in Ontario.
| The Fancsy Family Hospital is a significant investment in local healthcare that will modernize infrastructure and improve accessibility for patients in the region. Learn more
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The new hospital increases overall bed capacity across the system, with built-in surge capability and a clear plan for future growth. Planning involves looking at demographics and forecasting population trends to determine need.
While the exact number of beds is yet to be confirmed, we do know that on opening day, patients in the region will have access to more inpatient beds than are available today, along with flexible spaces that can be quickly converted during periods of high demand. The hospital is also designed to expand over time as the community grows.
More capacity, more flexibility, and a system built for the future—this is a major benefit for our community.
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| Plans for the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital include 100% of all inpatient rooms with the capacity to be used as single-patient rooms. Those who do not have coverage for a private room will receive a free room upgrade. |
- The plan calls for a new state-of-the-art Emergency Department (ED) with a helipad at the new hospital site and an Urgent Care/Satellite ED in the city's core.
- The hospital ED will be built and staffed for high volumes with at least the same number of physicians and other healthcare professionals that currently work in our two existing acute care hospitals combined. The new facility will be more efficient with separate emergency areas designed specifically to meet the needs of adult, geriatric and pediatric patients.
- The Urgent Care/Satellite Emergency Centre run by Windsor Regional Hospital will be available to patients with less severe conditions. Forty percent of patients who currently use Windsor Regional Hospital emergency departments could be treated at this Centre. This model is currently being used in other parts of the province to ease pressure and reduce wait times in hospital emergency departments.
- EMS transport planning will be part of future discussion.
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WATCH: Dr. Paul Bradford, describes the benefits of the Satellite Emergency/Urgent Care model.
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No. Erie Shores HealthCare in Leamington is an integral part of hospital services in the region. The current plan assumes all current services continue in Leamington. The CEO from Erie Shores Healthcare has been part of the planning process with representation on the Steering Committee for the new Windsor-Essex Hospitals System in the previous planning stage, and currently sites on the project Capital Planning Advisory Committee. |
- Funding for the future use of both the Met and Ouellette campuses is included in the budget for this project. There will also be an alternative funded plan if necessary.
- The Ouellette Campus will be redeveloped to support a number of programs and services including urgent care, dialysis, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and pharmacy as well as some ambulatory care and outpatient surgical services.
- The Met Campus will be sold with money going to support the local share of the project.
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Continued Care in Downtown Windsor
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A number of programs and services will continue to be offered at the Ouellette site including Urgent Care (satellite Emergency), dialysis, diagnostic imaging, laboratory and pharmacy as well as some ambulatory care and outpatient surgical services.
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An Urgent Care (Satellite Emergency) Centre is an alternate site for patients with less serious issues who do not require all the resources available in an emergency department. The new centre will be staffed by hospital emergency room staff and physicians and contain a CT scanner, a pharmacy and a lab.
This model of emergency care is used in other municipalities as a strategy to reduce wait times.
Approximately 90% of current WRH emergency room patients are not admitted to the hospital, and many of those patients would receive quicker treatment at a hospital-run Urgent Care Centre. |
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These centres are not meant for patients with life-threatening issues. Hours of operation will be determined by volumes and demand and can change based on those same factors.
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The Urgent Care Centre will be run by the Acute Care Hospital and staffed by hospital emergency physicians and emergency workers from the Acute Care Hospital.
Unlike a typical walk-in clinic, the UCC will include diagnostic imaging, including a CT scanner, and laboratory services to allow physicians and other clinical staff to treat and diagnose more patient issues on-site.
Because it is part of the hospital system, patients can be admitted to the hospital from the hospital's UCC.
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Timeline & Planning Process
Hospitals are among the most complex architectural and engineering projects to design and construct. They require complicated mechanical, electrical, and IT systems, and built-in flexibility to adapt to evolving technologies and demands in the future. In addition, hospital designs must meet or exceed CSA standards to ensure safe, accessible, and comfortable care.
A detailed outline, including step-by-step process requirements for major infrastructure projects as they relate to the design and construction of the Fancsy Family Hospital can be found in the June 2022 edition of the PMO Report.
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Work on the project began in 2012 when then Finance Minister Dwight Duncan created the Windsor Hospital’s Study Task Force to examine the possibility and need for a new regional acute care hospital to replace the current facilities. View all project milestones. |
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Yes. In fact, any hospital built since the SARS epidemic in 2003 has been designed with special features to increase infection control. There have been additional findings from the COVID-19 pandemic that are impacting standards around features such as airborne-isolation rooms. And Ontario’s Ministry of Health now expects hospitals to shell in space for growth to be able to accommodate more beds in the case of a future pandemic.
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Site & Location
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A 60-acre property at the corner of Cabana Road East (formerly County Rd). 42 and the 9th Concession.
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The new hospital site was selected in 2015 using a detailed process that was open, honest and fair.
See more information on the Site Selection Process.
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Accessibility was the number one criteria used to select the site. The new site is as accessible as or more accessible to patients, staff, physicians and physician offices than the current two campuses. The plan also includes services in downtown Windsor (urgent care, some outpatient procedures, laboratory, pharmacy, dialysis, etc.) and additional services in Windsor West at the Tayfour Campus (dialysis, diagnostics, acute mental health) to improve accessibility throughout the entire system.
Although there are no bus services to the selected site right now, Transit Windsor will provide service to the new hospital when it opens, and space is planned to accommodate transit service on the site.
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Cost
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The project will be priced through a competitive process to ensure value for the taxpayers of Ontario. Discussing cost estimates at this stage would jeopardize Infrastructure Ontario’s competitive procurement process and all efforts to secure the best value for taxpayers. |
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The province covers 90% of the construction on new hospital builds. With the support of the community, the hospital covers the remaining 10% and all furniture and equipment. The City of Windsor and the County of Essex have committed $200 million toward the 10% local share of construction. See more information on the Local Share page. |
- Using one-time capital dollars for ongoing annual operating services is short-sighted. The location, provision, manner, and delivery of healthcare services are evolving and will continue to evolve. For our community, we will continue to fall behind this evolution by operating out of antiquated and insufficient facilities.
- If we want to retain, enhance and be on the leading edge of healthcare delivery, we need the infrastructure to be at a level that allows us to achieve those goals.
- Doing nothing is not an option - significant investments would be required to renovate and upgrade current facilities and leave us with the current inadequate footprint and landlocked properties.
- This is not to say we will not continue to have operating challenges. However, by having a state-of-the-art facility to operate from our healthcare employees, we will be better able to address these challenges without physical infrastructure limiting our ability.
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The Fancsy Family Hospital Name
Along with government funding, philanthropic donations are a key means by which hospital foundations in Ontario and around the world secure the necessary capital to fund major upgrades and development.
To help hospitals secure donations, the Government of Ontario does not require approval from the Minister of Health to approve a name if certain conditions are met.
Among those conditions is that the amount of the donation must correspond with the value of that asset.
The Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) has complied with all provincial requirements for naming the hospital and, given the historic size of the gift, the largest in the history of the WRH Foundation and Windsor-Essex, approved The Fancsy Family Hospital as the new hospital's name.
Recognizing John's historic gift in this way acknowledges the significant role philanthropy plays in ensuring the best health care is available to Windsor-Essex residents and that others are motivated to give in support of the new acute care hospital.
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Yes, it is common for Ontario hospitals to be named in recognition of a significant philanthropic donation. For example:
- Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General Hospital) was renamed after a $50 million donation by Berna and Myron Garron in memory of their son.
- Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital (formerly Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital under Mackenzie Health) was renamed after a $40 million donation from the Cortellucci family, the largest single donation in the history of Mackenzie Health.
- The Marotta Family Hospital (formerly St. Catharines site of Niagara Health) was renamed after a $15 million donation from the family.
- Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital (formerly Bridgepoint Active Healthcare) was renamed after a $36 million gift from Jay and Barbara Hennick.
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The name will be used for the natural life of the hospital site, which is approximately 50 years after it opens.
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Under the Government of Ontario policies, adopting a new name “should be made where the level of philanthropy corresponds with the value of that asset.”
The WRH Board of Directors and the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation made a decision based on the $40 million donation from the late Mr. Fancsy and additional donations from members of the Fancsy Family.
The gift marks the most significant contribution every made to an organization in our region.
This exceptional act of generosity may spark a ripple effect, encouraging others to give. Should another record-breaking gift come forward, the WRH Foundation will collaborate closely with the donor to find a meaningful way to honour their extraordinary support.
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In addition to naming a building, there are numerous other naming opportunities, including the following examples.
- The Solcz Family Foundation made a generous $15 million gift to the new hospital in 2024. In recognition of this exceptional gift, the Family Birthing and Paediatric CareCentre, as well as the Paediatric Emergency Zone, located within the Emergency Department, will be named after the Solczs Family Foundation. (Learn more)
- Dr. Tony Pattinson, a retired OB-GYN and former WRH department chief and his wife Mary, a retired emergency nurse, made a $1.5 million gift in 2025 for equipment and technology at the new hospital. In recognition of this gift, an Operative Birthing Suite in the New Fancsy Family Hospital will be named the Dr. Tony and Mary Pattinson Operative Birthing Suite. (Learn more)
If you are interested in learning more about naming opportunities at The Fancsy Family Hospital, please contact Ashley Weeres, Interim Executive Director of the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation, at 519.254.5577 ext. 52151 or Ashley.Weeres@wrh.on.ca.
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Windsor Regional Hospital has grown and evolved, and the current organization name – Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) - and brand no longer fully reflect the services we provide, the people we serve, or the role we play in the health system.
As a result, WRH is embarking on a corporate renaming and rebranding process, which will include significant engagement with internal and external audiences.
A new brand will include a new name for our organization, a new modern logo and possibly new brand colours. This will be applied gradually across our existing sites and will be central to our new acute care hospital.
Throughout this process, we will engage staff, professional staff, volunteers, patients, their families, partners and our valued community to ensure the new brand reflects our growing hospital organization and the community it serves. There will be many opportunities for you to have your say in what the future name and brand should be.
We are currently at the beginning of a year-long process that will unfold over the coming months. We look forward to providing updates and engaging you as we redefine our health care system.
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Engagement
| There have been 80+ town hall discussions and other opportunities for individuals to ask questions and give feedback. Learn more about Community Engagement throughout the project. |
The Fancsy Family Hospital