Another Major Planning Milestone Achieved

11-12-2023

Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) is celebrating another planning milestone with the submission of a Stage 1.3 (formerly Stage 2) plan for the Ouellette Campus to the Ministry of Health. The submission includes the proposed scope of services to be provided at the downtown Windsor location after a new state-of-the-art hospital opens on County Rd. 42 and the 9th Concession, as well as an implementation plan to ensure uninterrupted services throughout the redevelopment process.

The submission complements the planning work being done for the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital and is the result of extensive collaboration with many partners within the hospital, the community, and the province. It includes a functional program, a set of block diagrams and early cost estimates.

Windsor Regional Hospital President and CEO David Musyj says the plan highlights the hospital's commitment to ensuring patients in Windsor-Essex receive timely and accessible care after the new hospital opens.

"Residents in downtown Windsor will have access to urgent care services close to home, at a hospital-run urgent care centre where they will be treated by the same emergency-trained staff and physicians who work at the Emergency Department in the new acute care hospital," Musyj says. "In addition, patients will have access to medical tests, treatments, lab work and a variety of out-patient services at the Ouellette location."

The plan was submitted to the Ministry of Health after receiving endorsement from the WRH Board of Directors.

Highlights include:

• An Urgent Care Centre that will operate 24/7,
• Diagnostic Imaging,
• Laboratory,
• Pharmacy Services,
• Medical Daycare,
• Outpatient Services, and
• Administrative Services.

Renal Dialysis will continue to be offered to patients in the Bell Building, which is also located on the Ouellette site.

Expert hospital planners and architects developed the plan for Ouellette in consultation with eight User Groups representing all programs and services that will be offered at the site. The User Groups were made up of hospital leadership, staff, professional staff, volunteers, and patient and community representatives - including members of the hospital's Patient and Family Advisory Committee and the Chief of the Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services.

The submission is based on current and future projected patient volumes. It is designed to complement the services that will be offered at the new hospital site and incorporates the extensive community feedback received throughout the new hospital planning.

Brandon Bailey, Vice President of Redevelopment, says minimizing redevelopment costs by maximizing the reuse of good infrastructure in the old facility was a priority.

"While much of the current infrastructure is between 70 and 90 years old, there was investment in the Diagnostic and Treatment in 2001," said Bailey. "This submission represents a team effort to look at ways to make use of the existing infrastructure, as directed, wherever possible, while still ensuring a quality facility that meets modern hospital building standards and supports a safe patient experience." The Ministry of Health Capital Branch will now review the submission and work with the hospital to ensure the final approved plan – together with the final plan for the new hospital - aligns with provincial expectations and standards for modern and efficient care and appropriately meets the needs of patients in Windsor-Essex.

Early plans for the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital were submitted to the Ministry in April of this year and WRH is on track to meet the timeline confirmed in Infrastructure Ontario's latest Market Update that has the tendering process set to begin in 2025 and "shovels in the ground" by 2026.

To learn more about the project and subscribe to the email list for updates, please visit windsorhospitals.ca.

Media Release