The business case for the redevelopment of the Kincardine hospital is now complete.
Representatives from consulting and architecture firms working on the redevelopment of the Kincardine hospital provided Council with the plan last night
HCM, Agnew Peckham, and COHOS Evamy have looked at hospital needs for the next 10 to 20 years and came up with a solution that will maintain beds while taking into account future needs like increased Emergency Room visits and population growth.
More day surgery and ambulatory care space will also be needed.
There are two options for redevelopment — one is a two-phase rebuilding project on the existing site that would be connected to the existing medical clinic.
The other is building a completely new hospital on the same property.
The preferred option is the phased redevelopment at an estimated capital cost of 104 million dollars.
A complete rebuild would cost an estimated 84 million.
Councillor Kenneth Craig questions why the most expensive option is the preferred one.
South Bruce-Grey Health Centre CEO Paul Davies says the phased redevelopment would mean lower costs for the provincial government.
Davies says it would also ensure areas of the hospital that need replacement the most were replaced faster.
David Cerny of COHOS Evamy says the province will soon be making a lot of efforts to streamline and make healthcare as cost effective as possible, so a phased rebuild is a better plan in case services and priorities change.
The province will cover 90 per cent of the 43 million dollar first phase, the rest has to be covered through local fundraising.
Mayor Larry Kraemer says he did some quick math and says a lot of work would have to be done for fundraising.
He says based on five thousand local families — each would have to contribute two thousand dollars over five years to raise almost 10 million dollars.
The mayor says the redevelopment plan is good, and believes council is supportive.
Davies believes the South Bruce-Grey board will approve the two phase option and then send it onto the Ministry of Health for approval in February.
However, construction would not likely begin until the spring of 2012 with occupancy by July 2014.
Davies says the process could take longer, but urges the community to support the project and encourage Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell — who is the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health.
He does not doubt the project will go ahead, but it’s just a question of speed.