Whitby Hospital Task Force – a group of community and town representatives preparing for next steps in the site selection process of the proposed new Lakeridge hospital – provided an update to Town Council on June 7.
Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell, pointed out that Whitby does not have a full-service, acute-care hospital.
“We are pleased to see Lakeridge Health moving forward with the process to identify a site for a possible new hospital in Durham Region. There is massive growth taking place in the region. For example, we know that Whitby alone is expected to see our population grow by more than 40% over the next 11 years…A hospital that provides this level of critical care is needed in our town to close this gap and ensure care for all residents closer to home,” he said.
He said that Whitby’s proposed hospital site, that was unanimously endorsed by the town council earlier this year, is best positioned to serve the entire region. The site, which is currently owned by the Ministry of Transportation, is located in the heart of Durham Region between Highway 407, Highway 412, Winchester Road and Lake Ridge Road. It also meets all of the criteria our Hospital Task Force has identified for an optimal location for the new hospital to be built.
Most importantly, this includes:
- A site that addresses the gap in acute care service in areas of projected rapid growth;
- A site that is centrally located, enabling easy air ambulance, transit, active transportation and highway access with close proximity to two 400-series highways, something that is extremely important with the future Durham hospital being the only trauma centre between the GTA and Kingston; and,
- Ample space to construct a new hospital and accommodate other uses, such as a long-term care facility.
“My thanks to MPP Lorne Coe and the Ministry of Transportation for their continued support and collaboration on moving this site ahead in the site selection process. We look forward to submitting this proposed site to Lakeridge Health for consideration when the time comes. I also encourage residents to learn more about the site selection and community engagement process to be led by Lakeridge Health. Your feedback will help to ensure that we have care closer to home for our residents as our community continues to grow,” added the mayor.
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