Ontario’s Minister for Health and Long Term Care, Eric Hoskins was in Brampton on Tuesday to mark a major milestone for the new Peel Memorial Centre. Minister Hoskins announced that the facility is now “substantially complete.” In practical terms, this means that the keys have been handed over and the facility is now gearing up to be fully operational by April 2017. Patients will start using the facility as early as February.
Excerpts of the announcement with video of the facility is included in the attached video.
The announcement was significant enough to gather all of the city’s politicians from all three levels of government. The only exception was Regional Councillor Grant Gibson who was off sick. Premier Bill Davis along with board members, volunteers, fundraisers and other dignitaries were also in attendance to celebrate.
The full official name of the facility is Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness. It is not a traditional hospital and will not provide Emergency care. Instead, it includes an Urgent Care Centre that will be open from 7am to 11pm and is intended to alleviate pressures on the emergency department at Brampton Civic Hospital. It will help patients with non life-threatening illnesses or injuries to get treated more quickly. It will however provide the following additional wellness and preventative services:
- Urgent Care and Day Surgeries
- Suite of diagnostic services including CT scans, X-Rays, Ultrasounds
- Laboratory, Pharmacy, Neurology, Cardiac Diagnostics
- Seniors Wellness Programs
- Mental Health and Addictions Programs
- Women’s and Children’s Wellness Programs
- Preventative Care for Chronic Conditions such as Diabetes and Asthma
The province has invested $451 into the facility with another $60 million invested from local tax payers through a property tax levy. An additional $60 million is being raised in the community to fund much of the facility’s equipment.
