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‘This hospital will be built’: Health Minister Hoskins

PECMH Foundation chair Monica Alyea directs Dr. Eric Hoskins, Ontario Minister of Health
and Long-Term Care, to look out the window to picture the location of the new hospital.

Plans for Prince Edward County’s new hospital are moving forward with the announcement today of a $500,000 grant to help Quinte Health Care with early planning stages.

While the grant does not mean approval to build, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Eric Hoskins told several dozen people attending a meeting at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital that “this hospital will be built”.

The funding follows approval of stage one (of five) for the project by the ministry and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) in January.

“This is a planning grant of a half a million dollars – what’s known as Stage 1 of a multi-stage process where now the hard work required is to determine what services, what programs should form part of the new hospital,” he said. “To build the space around that, to figure out what space is needed to accommodate those programs and services and once that’s approved, then it goes to the detailed architectural design. Shortly thereafter, an RFP (request for proposal) and then shovels in the ground.”

The process to move forward through the stages, he said, is in the hands of Quinte Health Care, its board, the hospital itself, the foundation and the community.

The hospital could be built by the fall of 2024 or early 2025 at a projected cost of $76 million – with the community and foundation responsible for about $12.7 million.

Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term
Care Eric Hoskins takes a playful jab at Prince
Edward County Mayor Robert Quaiff for his
“constant” reminders of the need for a new
hospital in the County, bringing a laugh from
MPP Northumberland Quinte West Lou
Rinaldi, PECMH Foundation Chair Monica
Alyea and LHIN vice-chair Brian Smith. Hoskins also acknowledged the years of work putting the needs of PECMH in
the forefront by Hastings Prince Edward MPP Todd Smith.

Thrilled with the announcement, Monica Alyea, chair of the PEC Hospital Foundation, directed Hoskins to look out the window and beyond the back parking lot. “The shed will be gone and a new hospital will be there,” she said to great applause from the crowd.

“Today we are in a great place,” she said. “The new hospital a little bit closer and a little bit clearer to making it real. Thank you Minister Hoskins for bringing us this news and re-energizing us in our commitment to make our new hospital a reality.”

The Hospital Foundation is charged with raising the community’s share of the cost. It has already committed to a $1 million donation, as has the Hospital Auxiliary and the municipality.

“We have big job ahead of us to raise the community’s share,” said Alyea. “But I can assure you we have a passion for this and we are up to the challenge and confident we can get there.”

Prince Edward County Mayor Robert Quaiff was pleased to hear the words ‘this hospital will be built’.

“The re-development of Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital is a major priority for ensuring the long-term health of our community,” he said. “Today is an exciting step toward achieving that… It’s not going to happen over night, no matter how much we may want it to; but we are heading in the right direction and we celebrate that momentum today. Before we know it we will be celebrating the next milestone.”

Dr. Hoskins thanked former mayor and hospital foundation board chairman Leo Finnegan for his many years of dedication and determination to getting the new hospital project moving forward.

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