The Ontario government has announced that it will invest an additional $10 million to support the planning and construction of the new Waterloo Regional Health Network hospital.

The funding builds on the government’s previous investment of $5 million and will allow Waterloo Regional Health Network to advance planning to build a new acute-care hospital in Waterloo.

“Our government is making historic investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system, ensuring that more people in Waterloo Region can connect to the care they need, where and when they need it,” said Health Minister Sylvia Jones. “By investing to build a brand-new Waterloo Regional Health Network hospital, we are making it faster and easier for more people and their families to access world-class care in their community, for generations to come.”

Once opened, the new hospital would include:

• increased patient capacity,
• greater access to core programs, emergency services and critical care
• expanded cardiac clinics,
• medical imaging, diagnostic services and enhanced surgical spaces,
• maternal, newborn and pediatric care, and
• modernized medical and surgical inpatient units.

The new hospital site is located on the University of Waterloo lands west of Bearinger Road and Hagey Boulevard in Waterloo.

As a next step, the Ministry of Health is working with Waterloo Regional Health Network to complete early planning for the project, including determining bed numbers and square footage.

Waterloo Regional Health Network operates over 680 beds across three sites that provide a range of services, contributing to over approximately 482,000 annual patient visits in Waterloo Region, including cardiac care, cancer care, mental health and addictions and critical care.