Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre is looking at a possible expansion with a south campus.

Plans are still in the early phases, but hospital and municipal officials from Barrie, Innisfil and Bradford have created a committee to look at the feasibility of a second campus.

"Planning for an additional facility is a 15 to 20 year process. To meet the healthcare needs of our region in the future, we must begin the planning now," said Doug Frost, committee chair, in a statement.

Before an expansion can be approved, the province requires hospitals create a master program and plan. These studies examine the services the hospital currently provides, the infrastructure needed and the preferred location.

A 50-acre parcel of land in Innisfil, at the 6th Line and Yonge Street, was donated to RVH in 2009.

In the short term, the hospital is looking at what to do with unfinished space in its current facility. The hospital is also leasing space in Innisfil’s new Community Health Hub, which is set to open in 2019.  

RVH is consistently over 115 per cent capacity.