The board of North Wellington Health Care (NWHC) is pleased with progress on capital projects for local hospitals.
The Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (WWLHIN) passed a motion last month to support NWHC capital redevelopment projects.
The WWLHIN board endorsed the program and service elements contained in the Stage 1 Part A submission for the capital redevelopment of the ambulatory care, and emergency department at Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest and the medical education facilities at both the Palmerston and District Hospital and Louise Marshall Hospital.
“We are very pleased to have the WWLHIN’s continued support and share this News with our NWHC supporters,” stated David Craig, NWHC board chair.
The Stage 1, Part A portion of the NWHC Capital Project was reviewed by the WWLHIN to ensure that the plan supports the strategic direction of the local health system in Waterloo Wellington. This approval helps keep the project on track for beginning the tendering process in 2014/15 as announced by the Province last August.
“The NWHC team will continue to work with the WWLHIN and ministry to move this project forward through the next stages of the planning process,” stated Jerome Quenneville, president and CEO of NWHC.
The board made the decision to appoint Craig as board chair for the remainder of his term on the board which will end at the annual general meeting on June 20.
Craig has been filling this role on an interim basis since last spring when the previous chair, Al Hodgson, took an unexpected extended leave. Craig has over 20 years of experience on local hospital boards and has held the role of chair in the past. Currently, he also serves on the Ontario Hospital Association board of directors and is a representative on the Small Rural and Northern Provincial Leadership Council.
“As a devoted champion of rural health care the board is confident that Craig’s leadership will continue to serve the local hospitals well,” states a press release from NWHC.
Last fall, the WWLHIN sent a funding letter advising NWHC that it is eligible to receive one-time funding of up to $584,700 to support small and rural hospitals in the WWLHIN.
The province promised as part of the spring 2012 provincial budget a $20-million fund to assist with the transformation of small rural and northern (SRN) hospitals across the province. NWHC will be working with other health care partners to identify and prioritize appropriate proposals to make best use of the one-time funds.
The funding is designed to improve collaboration between small and rural hospitals and community care providers. Funding proposals are to be reviewed at the WWLHIN and provincial level in the coming months with the majority of work done by the end of December 2013.
