> How long have your favourite businesses operated? Check Then & Now/Pgs 8-11 > St. Helen K of C donate winter coats Pg 3 > Grimsby salutes winning parade participants Pg 6 > Letters: readers have their say Pg 15 Thursday, January 2, 2020 Vol. 8 Issue 34
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Stage 2 funding great, but foot still on HHS gas, says Oosterhoff By Mike Williscraft NewsNow As important as West Lincoln Memorial Hospital’s rebuild process advancing to Stage 2 of planning, so too, ensuring the facility has a full range of services is also key, says Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff. Noting the Ministry of Health has been committed to ensuring all services are maintained at WLMH, Oosterhoff said it was great to see HHS officials acknowledge this in commenting on the Stage 2 move. “It will be a full-service, general hospital with all the services needed to support that model,” said Oosterhoff on Monday. Last week, Dr Michael Stacey, HHS executive vice-president and chief medical executive said the new hospital will include inpatient services, an emergency department, maternal and newborn services, day surgical services, endoscopy, diagnostic services and ambulatory services. But to get to that point, Stage 2 must be executed and approved by the Ministry of Health to keep the process moving. “Our next step will include
Lacing up
development of a Functional Program for the new hospital which will include details about the programs and services in the new facility, as well as describing workload, equipment and operational processes. The Functional Program will also profile design and spatial requirements, a project budget, project schedule and the local share financial plan,” said Mary Siegner, HHS’s manager, stakeholder relations, communications and public affairs. Oosterhoff noted that he has heard a lot of positive comments in the community about getting to Stage 2, but he added that focusing and driving the process forward will continue full tilt. “People are happy and want to look to the future on this thing but I am keeping my focus on getting this through Stage 2,” said Oosterhoff. “HHS has already done some pre-planning on Stage 2 but we need to work quickly.” To that end, Oosterhoff noted he has a meeting planned with HHS’s chairman of the board, Charles Criminisi, next week.
Charlotte Potvin waits patiently for mom, Kathleen, to gear up before they both head to the ice during one of the Peach King Centre’s free skate days on Friday. Families have the chance to skate on the Peach King rink for free on select days during the Christmas Break. Marks - Photo