The future of Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital could see a big change for the facility.
Hospital officials are trying to gather ideas in order to create a master plan for the next 15 years.
One idea being considered is two buildings joined with a bridge or hallway. One side would focus on acute care like the emergency room and surgeries. On the other would be ambulatory care.
“We have buildings that date right back to the 20s and none of those spaces are relevant to the technology and the way care is provided today,” says Dr. Nancy Merrow, chief of staff.
Building codes for hospitals are expensive. Officials say by separating the services, only the acute care side would need to follow hospital code. They'd have more flexibility for the other side.
“If we can build first class office space and ambulatory procedure space that is less expensive, but built for those high traffic, high volume quick visits, it makes it less expensive, more efficient and a better experience for the patient to separate the two,” says Merrow.
Plenty of public feedback will be collected before anything is final.
The Future Hospital Project is still in its very early stages. The next step is to finish developing a master plan, which then has to be reviewed by Ontario’s Ministry of Health.
