The Ontario government has announced plans to build new emergency facilities at hospitals in Kawartha Lakes and Orangeville.

Work at the Ross Memorial Hospital in Kawartha Lakes will see the current emergency department renovated and expanded, with the creation of a new, state-of-the-art mental health emergency services unit.

The expansion will improve patient safety and ensure the hospital is better equipped to provide timely care for mental health patients. The expansion will also include a new trauma room with improved infection control measures to provide emergency department staff with additional space to treat patients requiring urgent lifesaving care.

As a next step, the ministry is working with Ross Memorial Hospital to complete early planning and design for this project. A construction schedule will be confirmed once future planning is complete and the project is tendered and awarded.

“This investment in the Ross Memorial Emergency Department will provide much-needed support to enhance trauma services and mental health care for our community,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. “The Government is excited to continue uplifting our hospitals and healthcare workers by building on our existing investments to improve the accessibility and quality of care in our province.”

Meanwhile, work at the Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville will see the current emergency and diagnostic imaging departments renovated and expanded to increase patient capacity.

By relocating the hospital’s laboratory from the main floor to the lower level, the project will create additional space for the hospital to expand its emergency and diagnostic imaging departments.

“The expansion of Headwaters Health Care Centre will allow people and families in the Orangeville community to continue to access the high-quality care they need, where they need it, for years to come,” said Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones.

The Ontario government is investing more than $228 million this year to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 129 hospitals and 58 community health care facilities across the province.

That figure includes investing over $2.3 million for window replacements at Ross Memorial Hospital, and more than $3.6 million for power plant upgrades at Headwaters Health Care Centre.