A group of community volunteers has been selected to provide knowledge and experience to the Wallaceburg hospital redevelopment project.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) said the four community members will sit on a newly established Building Community Advisory Committee, which will provide input as the hospital moves forward with the planning and design phase to redevelop the Wallaceburg site.
Volunteers Jeff Wesley and Dr. William Currier have been selected to represent the Wallaceburg area, while Faye Johnson has been chosen to represent Walpole Island First Nation. As well, Kristen Campbell will represent health care professionals from the community who may refer patients to the Wallaceburg site.
Wesley has served in volunteer roles for various hospital and health care committees for the past 30 years, including the director and chair of the former Sydenham District Hospital Board and former director of the CKHA board. He is also a former Chatham-Kent councillor and mayor for the Town of Wallaceburg.
Dr. Currier is a licensed health care practitioner and is the owner/operator of Currier Chiropractic in Wallaceburg. As a lifelong resident of Wallaceburg, he has also developed strong working relationships within the community through roles on several municipal boards.
Johnson is from Bkejwanong Territory and is currently the governance manager with Walpole Island First Nation. She has 21 years of experience working with adult learners to overcome learning challenges at the Six Nations of the Grand River. Johnson also has many years of experience volunteering with Indigenous youth to reconnect them with their culture.
Campbell is a Lambton County resident and has been employed at the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centre since 2011. As a registered nurse, she has also worked in long-term care, as well as the Emergency Department and the Complex Continuing Care unit at CKHA.
“These applicants successfully reflected their interest in the hospital and health care, and their ability to connect with the community about local and rural health care issues. We look forward to welcoming them to our committee,” said Jack Carroll, chair of the advisory committee and CKHA board member, in a news release.
Hospital representatives and other interested stakeholders will also sit on the committee, which will report to the CKHA Board of Directors.
The current redevelopment plans for the Wallaceburg hospital site focus on new medical beds, a diagnostic imaging department, and a laboratory, as well as a newly constructed building for the emergency department. The current emergency department at the Wallaceburg hospital would be converted into additional space for ambulatory care services.
A new power plant was also recently completed as part of the first phase of the redevelopment project.
