The redevelopment of Wallaceburg’s hospital has taken another step closer to construction.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance submitted its planning and contract documents to the Ministry of Health for review on October 6, which included tender-ready drawings and specifications for a 22,000-square-foot addition to the hospital’s Wallaceburg site. The addition will house a new emergency department, inpatient medicine unit, diagnostic imaging department and laboratory.
CKHA President and CEO Adam Topp said the hospital will be built for the future and it will become much more functional.
“We can’t help but be more efficient in a newer building. It gives us an opportunity to look at the whole campus,” he said. “The whole [hospital] will be more efficient than it is now because it will be purpose-built for what it is. That’s a big change from what we’re operating in now.”
The redevelopment team has been collaborating with the ministry over the last several months to ensure the design meets ministry requirements, while remaining aligned with the planning and design work completed to date.
Steve Pinsonneault, the MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, said the Ministry of Health offered its support knowing how important the hospital is to the community of Wallaceburg.
“When you’re working collaboratively, there are no surprises when you get to the submission point. Everybody is on the same page. They were working together all the way through it, and I just think it makes for a better process,” said Pinsonneault.
Hospital officials said the government review could take up to three months, but thanks to the ministry’s assistance during the design process, the hospital is hopeful the approval will be provided sooner. Once the project is given approval to proceed, the hospital will go to tender for a general contractor.
Hospital officials anticipate that construction will begin sometime in 2027, with completion expected within 18 to 24 months.
“That’s what we’re pushing for,” said Topp.
The full cost of the hospital revitalization has been estimated at $41 million. However, Topp said the estimate was provided several years ago, and the final total will likely be impacted by inflation.