Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) held a grand opening for its new $17.8-million headquarters here on Oct. 1.
Located on Chancellors Way just off Edinburgh Road, the building is ideally situated, officials say, to serve residents in Guelph and the southern portion of Wellington County.
WDGPH medical officer of health Dr. Nicola Mercer addressed the approximately 65 people at the opening.
“This new facility will give better access for those with disabilities and families with children,” said Mercer.
“It will provide public services for residents for decades to come. It has modern medical and dental facilities as well as teaching spaces to handle the diverse work of public health.”
She added, “Here you will find staff members providing information on keeping you healthy and [helping parents raise] healthy children.
“There is a teaching kitchen where staff can train local food handlers and offer advice on food preparation. There is now adequate space and the capability to respond to any public health emergency in the community.”
Guelph MPP Liz Sandals said, from the new facility, public health can deliver better services for citizens of Guelph and the surrounding area.
Wellington Warden Chris White said, “This will be a real health hub in this community.”
Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge congratulated the health unit for building such a state-of-the-art facility.
A representative from architectural firm presented the key to the building, which had a total cost of $17.8-million, to Mercer.
Clinics in the new facility offer a variety of services including immunization, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, speech and language assessment for preschoolers, and dental care for children from qualifying families.
Public Health also has a wide range of programs and services available to everyone, including well water testing, breast feeding, parenting classes, along with food safety training and certification.
The Guelph building, in addition to a $7-million WDGPH building in Orangeville, was funded through loans from the three affected municipalities, based on population, in the following amounts:
– Guelph , $8,483,003;
– Wellington County, $6,043,446; and
– Dufferin County, $3,955,038.
“Repayments to these loans will be from the operating budget of WDGPH, which is about 70 per cent funded by the Province of Ontario,” WDGPH spokesperson Sharon Ord told the Advertiser.
– With files from Chris Daponte
