NEWS RELEASE
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 15, 2010 

BGH Board Approves Mental Health Capital Plan

Brockville—At the September 13 meeting, the Brockville General Hospital Board of Governors approved their Capital Plan for the Interim Mental Health Renovations, and will now formally submit the plan to the Ministry of Health for approval.

The Interim Renovations are needed at the BGH Charles Street site to accommodate the transfer of the 24 Acute Care Schedule 1 beds from the Elmgrove Unit of the Brockville Mental Health Centre of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. This Tier II transfer was ordered by the Health Services Restructuring Commission in 1998. As part of the due diligence study completed in the summer of 2009, a renovation plan for the 3rd floor of the Charles Street Site was developed to accommodate the transfer, and then shared with the Southeast LHIN and local representatives of the Capital Branch of the Ministry of Health.

“Extensive planning has occurred over the years since the restructuring directions were received,” says Ray Marshall, Brockville General Hospital’s President and CEO. “This planning resulted in a plan to provide new space for these beds at BGH but, given the timeline for the new construction of our proposed next expansion, the SE LHIN asked us to prepare a plan that would provide interim accommodations within our existing building.”

Following on-going discussions with the LHIN and resulting amendments, the plan was shared with the SE LHIN in August 2010. Subsequently, the board of the SE LHIN endorsed the plan at their meeting on August 30, 2010, and the capital plan is now ready for submission.

Approximately 13,900 square feet of renovations on third floor of the South Wing will provide room for the 24 inpatient Schedule 1 mental health beds, along with the required clinical support and ancillary services. The plan will have the inpatient beds located in the southeast portion of the floor and the required supports focused in the more westerly portion.

Staff from the Elmgrove Unit and BGH have been involved in the design, and this partnership will continue as the project moves into more the more detailed design stage. The current cost estimate of the project is $8,441,899.

“The Board is hoping that approvals will be received in the near future,” says BGH Board Chair Hugh Bates. “We need to be able to move on this as quickly as possible so we keep the services in our area for clients needing mental assistance. We, as a Board, believe that all services for people needing acute care should be available in our community.”

For more information, please contact:

Maggie Wheeler Communications Officer BROCKVILLE GENERAL HOSPITAL 613-345-5649 Ext. 1-1504

Healthy people – Outstanding Care

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