REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS STAGE CLOSED FOR ST. JOSEPH'S REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH
CARE PROJECT

TORONTO, Aug. 30 /CNW/ - St. Josesph's Health Care, London (St. Joseph's) and Infrastructure Ontario today announced that the request for proposals (RFP) stage has closed for building teams to submit bids to design, build, finance and maintain two new specialized mental health care facilities in London and St. Thomas.

The new St. Joseph's Regional Mental Health Care London facility will be constructed adjacent to Parkwood Hospital in London. Its programs will accommodate inpatient and outpatient services for:

• assessment
• mood and anxiety disorders
• psychosis
• dual diagnosis
• geriatric psychiatry
• adolescent psychiatry 

The new St. Joseph's Regional Mental Health Care St. Thomas will be a forensic mental health-care facility built on the existing lands in St. Thomas. It will provide specialized inpatient and outpatient services, including assessment, treatment, outreach and support services to individuals with a mental illness who have come into significant contact with the criminal justice system.

The construction project will provide a sizeable stimulus to the regional and Ontario economies by directly and indirectly creating and supporting thousands of jobs.

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are working with St. Joseph's to build the hospitals, which will remain publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable.  Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to managing some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects - ensuring they are built on time and on budget.

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca for more information.

Quotes

Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and MPP for London North Centre
"Each step in this process is one toward greater access to specialized mental health care in London. I am proud to see how this investment is making a difference in our community."  

Hon. Chris Bentley, Attorney General, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and MPP for London West
"With significant investments in health care, we now have more than 100 new and existing hospitals in various stages of expansion and upgrade across Ontario."

Khalil Ramal, MPP for London - Fanshawe
"This project will provide enormous health-care benefits for our community, but once under construction, it will also help create jobs and spur economic development throughout the region."

Cliff Nordal, President and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care, London
"We look forward to evaluating the proposals and are thrilled to be another step closer to breaking ground on our new facilities."

Disponible en français

For further information:

Marek Kubow	Terence Foran
St. Joseph's Health Care, London	Infrastructure Ontario
519-646-6100 ext. 47788	416-325-2939