Grey Bruce Health Services has celebrated the expansion of the Southampton Hospital.
A ceremony marked the official opening of a 10,000 square foot new Emergency Department which is almost double in size. Officials were also proud to open a 6,000 square foot renovation to the hospital’s laboratory.
“I am delighted to celebrate this milestone with our community and to publically recognize and thank everyone who helped us create such well-designed, beautiful new departments to diagnose and treat residents and visitors to the Saugeen Shores area,” said Maureen Solecki, interim president and CEO.
The Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation raised $1.8 million for the expansion, $562,500 of which came from Bruce Power.
The new ER has nine treatment rooms, a new waiting room, a dedicated decontamination room, and an ambulance bay that can accommodate four ambulances.
“We had long outgrown our old ER, and we needed a well-equipped, organized space to deliver safe, effective care,” said Dr. Dave Billings, chief of the Southampton Hospital ER. “Now we have room to work, we can offer patients far more privacy and our modern facilities will help attract new healthcare providers to the area.”
The renovated laboratory is three times larger and is built to meet new standards for environmental safety and infection control, with modern temperature and humidity controls to protect lab specimens.
The Southampton Hospital ER treats about 17,000 patients per year, and more than 13,000 patients register for lab work annually.
