City of Pickering has announced its intention to bid for the proposed new Lakeridge Health hospital, and has asked residents to support the bid.
Lakeridge Health has identified a need for a new hospital in Durham Region. Having a new hospital located in Pickering with our ever-growing community would be beneficial for all, said a city tweet yesterday.
Pickering joins Oshawa and Whitby who have already placed their hat in the ring. Clarington does not seem to be in the running as Bowmanville Hospital has been approved for a multi-million upgrade. Northern townships too have not yet publicly emphasized their bid for the new hospital.
Mayor Carter urges all of us to complete the Lakeridge Health survey and share why North Oshawa is the ideal site for a new hospital in Durham Region, said a City of Oshawa tweet campaign.
Town of Whitby has been campaigning for the new hospital for long.
A new hospital in Whitby is possible, but we need your help! Take part in a survey before August 6. Why Whitby? We are growing fast, our site is ideal for easy access from major roads and highways and is central in Durham, said a town tweet.
Durham Region Community Survey
Lakeridge Health is Durham Region’s acute care provider and one of the largest hospital systems in the province, operating five hospitals and over 20 community locations. Lakeridge Health is working to become a fully-integrated system, delivering high quality, patient- and family-centred care wherever patients need to access programs and services.
As Durham Region continues to grow and demand for health care increases, Lakeridge Health is planning for an additional 1,000 hospital beds over the next 25 years.
To help meet this need, Lakeridge Health is redeveloping and expanding Bowmanville Hospital. Lakeridge Health’s Master Plan also proposed that a new hospital be built to add existing services, particularly in the areas of critical care and emergency medicine.
Lakeridge Health said planning for this new hospital matches the longer term, multi-generational horizon for the hospital’s strategic plan and is a multi-year process. The first step is to identify and protect land for the proposed hospital that will benefit all Durham Region residents right now and into the future.
There are some factors we know must be looked at in selecting a site, such as the size of the property, not too close to industrial uses that might disrupt a hospital or be too far from major roadways. You can view a complete list of the draft criteria by visiting the Lakeridge Hospital web site.
Expert Panel
Lakeridge Health is consulting with various experts to advise on these criteria. An Independent Expert Panel is leading this site selection process. Once a site is identified through this process, a recommendation will be made to the Lakeridge Health Board of Trustees who will make the recommendation to the Ministry of Health.
This decision must also include the perspectives of the people who live in Durham Region. The purpose of this survey is to get your feedback on what is important to you when considering a site for a new hospital. It will help inform the panel’s work as they look to create the criteria they will use to determine the best site.
NOTE: The survey is available in 10 different languages.