Windsor Regional Hospital Reaches New Heights

Hospital Celebrates "Topping Off" of New Facility

WINDSOR, ON, Feb. 5 /CNW/ - The Hon. Dwight Duncan , MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh and Minister of Finance, Hon. Sandra Pupatello, MPP for Windsor West and Minister of Economic Development and Trade and Bruce Crozier , MPP for Essex, today joined hospital officials and construction workers to celebrate the "topping off" of the Windsor Regional Hospital's new longer-term mental health building.

A "topping off" ceremony is a tradition on building sites, signifying that the highest point of a building has been reached. Construction is now approximately 17 percent complete. There is currently an average of 90 workers on site daily and this number is expected to rise above 125 later this year. Since construction began in June 2009 , the percentage of the construction workforce comprised of local labour has been consistently above 80 percent each month.

The new longer-term mental health building will reduce patient wait times and enhance access to services for rehabilitation and longer-term mental health programs. Work on the new facility continues to progress on schedule and on budget. The next step in construction is to close in the facility, allowing mechanical, electrical, drywall work and interior finishes to proceed during the coming months. Exterior insulation and masonry work is scheduled to start in early spring.

    
    Highlights of the Windsor Regional Hospital redevelopment project
    include:
    -   new construction of a longer-term mental health building on the
        Western Campus that will be more than 75,000-square-feet;
    -   an increase in overall capacity with space for up to 65 longer-term
        mental health beds and up to 60 rehabilitation beds;
    -   renovations to existing buildings, including exterior repairs,
        upgrades to the elevator that services the building and other
        existing infrastructure; and
    -   renovations to over 35,000 square feet of space in the Tower
        Building, which houses in-patient rehabilitation services.
    

Construction began in June 2009 and will be completed in spring 2012. Bondfield Construction is building the new facility.

"Reaching this stage of construction has been the result of the planning, hard work and support of everyone at Windsor Regional Hospital and in the Windsor community," said Dwight Duncan , MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh. "With construction progressing, residents of our community can see the results of the McGuinty Government's commitment to modernize Ontario's hospitals, so that Ontarians across this province can access the care they need, when they need it, in the most up-to-date facilities."

"I'm pleased to see the progress made on the Windsor Regional Hospital project," said Sandra Pupatello, MPP for Windsor West. "The expansion of our hospital is important because it ensures that Windsor residents will continue to enjoy access to state-of-the-art health care facilities and treatment. It also has been important because it has created jobs and economic spin-offs that benefit our community."

"Construction of this facility is now well on its way and, once it is completed, the Windsor community will have access to specialized care within a superb new setting," said Bruce Crozier , MPP for Essex.

"Today marks a significant milestone in the building of our new hospital," said David Musyj, President and CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital. "This progress is a testament to the successful collaboration and hard work of all project partners."

Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are working with Windsor Regional Hospital to redevelop the facility, 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.

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For further information: Ron Foster, Windsor Regional Hospital, [phone]; Tom Boreskie, Infrastructure Ontario, [phone]