The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has announced that South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC) will receive $2.75M in Health Infrastructure Renewal Funding (HIRF) this year.
“This capital investment from the Government of Ontario will ensure the infrastructure of our South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC) hospital sites can continue to meet the needs of the patients we serve,” says Michael Barrett, SBGHC President and CEO (Interim). “SBGHC intends to use this funding at our Chesley site to replace the air handling units and begin the installation of the fire sprinkler system.”
The existing air handling system at the Chesley site consists of seven separate units installed in
1982, all of which have exceeded their useful life. Two new energy efficient units will be
installed to improve patient comfort.
To meet the requirement for all hospitals to have full sprinkler systems by 2025, these funds will
also allow work to get underway on the sprinkler installation project to ensure the ongoing safety of patients, visitors, staff and physicians.
In recent years, HIRF funding has been invested at other SBGHC sites, including the replacement of the boilers, chiller and generator in Kincardine in 2017, and in 2018, a substantial asbestos abatement in 14 locations throughout the Walkerton site.
“We thank the Government of Ontario for making this capital investment in our hospitals,” says Board Chair Larry Allison. “These facility upgrades will ensure that we can continue to provide reliable, high quality patient care at our Chesley site now and into the future.”
HIRF funding is one-time capital funding for repairing and maintaining hospital buildings and
infrastructure. SBGHC will continue to work through the budget recovery action plan strategies
which were announced earlier this week to address the deficit in the ongoing, operational
budget.
