We understand there are lots of questions in the community about the Hospital’s development project. We are doing our best to provide you with the answers you are looking for in a timely manner.
This stage is the most complex and important part of planning for the modernization and expansion of a regional, state-of-the-art healthcare facility.
This is the planning phase, where the groundwork of the future facility (based on details provided from the Ministry of Health) is developed. Currently, a team of planning & design consultants are leading Collingwood General and Marine Hospital employees, physicians and patient, family and caregiver advisory committee members through the Stage 2 process.
A dedicated team will review CGMH’s programs and services and additional components such as:
Proposed patient services (including new services such as satellite chemotherapy, rehabilitation beds, mental health beds, ect.)
Projected staffing requirements
Detailed space requirements for each department
Preliminary equipment requirements
Basic architectural plans (block diagrams of department sizes and location within the facility)
Estimate of building/site/equipment costs and the community’s share of the total cost
When the team has completed the review and prepared the submission to move to the next stage, the submission will detail all patient services, size and lay-out of the facility including how it should sit on the final site.
It is expected we will continue through this process for the next 16 months.
Has a location been confirmed?
At present, the direction the hospital has received from the Ministry of Health (MOH) is to further investigate the current site in relation to the modernization and expansion of the hospital, which will result in a state-of-the-art facility, to meet the growing health service needs of patients and families in the South Georgian Bay region.
What we can say for certain is that we will continue through the Stage 2 planning process and plan for a facility, which will meet the needs of our rapidly growing South Georgian Bay community, regardless of where it is located.
Is the 30 acres on the Poplar Sideroad still available for a new hospital?
At the present time, the hospital’s focus is on Stage 2 of its Hospital Development planning, which includes the completion of the functional program and plan. The decision for any type of relocation from its current site ultimately rests with the Ministry of Health, based on the conclusion of this study.
Stage 2 planning is critically important. The hospital’s planning consultants are developing requirements for projected staffing, department space and equipment, along with basic architectural plans, cost estimates and the community’s share of the total cost. You can learn more about the 5 stages of planning here.
Should the Ministry of Health determine that a greenfield build is the best option, the original 30 acres offered to the hospital by the Donor, which is also part of the proposed Poplar Regional Health & Wellness Village, could still be used.
Currently, the developers of the Poplar Regional Health & Wellness Village are working with the Town of Collingwood to appropriately zone the entire 130 acres. The 30 acres for a potential future hospital has been set aside by the developers as a placeholder and is integrated into their Health & Wellness Village proposal.
What have we learned from COVID-19 that will be applied to Stage 2 Planning?
Given the COVID-19 pandemic impacts and experience, we acknowledge that much has changed since our Stage 1 submission.
Departmental adjacencies will be re-examined in relation to which departments and services must reside beside each other. This involves mapping out spaces, just like putting blocks of lego together. The environmental and building service mechanics will begin to be outlined and defined, such as interior room layouts, bed placements, plugs and ventilation locations.
Stage 2 planning will include the current and emerging standards arising from COVID-19, and an assessment of whether the current building can support these standards. Determination of all required Infection Prevention and Control measures and technologies, with a focus upon patient and employee safety and wellness will be reviewed.
Architectural renderings will be drafted towards the end of the Stage 2 process, which will be an exciting part of the process!
What are the key steps in the Planning Process?
We are currently moving through the provincial approval process. Our hospital development project has moved to Stage 2 (Functional Program) of the five-stage Capital Planning process.
What is the role of User Groups in the Planning Process?
User Groups are an essential component of the Redevelopment Process. The User Groups provide staff input into the planning of future Hospital program and service delivery, assist in the detailed physical planning of the facility as the design process evolves and, eventually, assist in planning occupancy of the new building. Eighteen User Groups were struck including Critical Care, Emergency, Diagnostic, Pharmacy, Surgery, Medicine, Maternal/Child & Youth, Mental Health, Admin/Facility Support and Ambulatory. Patients, family members and caregivers sit on many of the committees too. Although expert consultants have been engaged to guide the Hospital through the planning process and perform much of the work, User Groups serve to guide the consultants and ensure that the end result reflects the needs of our community, enables best practice and recognizes the perspective and aspirations of our staff.
What is the $15 million announced on August 10th to be used for?
On August 10, 2021 the Minister of Health announced that the Ontario government was investing over $15 million in additional funding to support CGMH through the next planning phases. This funding is to be applied to Stage 2 and the remainder of hospital development planning.
A point to clarify, the $15 million is to be used for planning purposes only. This is not funding for any construction or building costs, operational or equipment costs.
Are we doing a redevelopment now and then building a new hospital?
At this time, the approval we have received is to move forward through the planning process on the modernization and expansion of the hospital, which will result in a state-of-the-art facility, to meet the growing health service needs of patients and families in the South Georgian Bay region.
What we can say for certain is that the hospital will continue to plan for a state-of-art facility, which will meet the needs of our rapidly growing South Georgian Bay community, regardless of where it is located.
What happens to the site if the hospital moves? What is the estimated cost to demolish? Who pays for demolition?
Should the hospital relocate, there are numerous options for the future use of the existing site and building. If the Hospital were to move, further discussions with all stakeholders, including the surrounding community and Town of Collingwood would occur.
The MOHLTC does not typically pay for demolition. Depending on the option selected for redevelopment, potential uses for the existing site includes sale for long-term care or other related healthcare uses, affordable housing, residential or commercial development. Further study regarding costs and potential offset revenues will be required.
Would it not be cheaper to re-use the existing building?
It depends. As part of Stage 1 planning, the hospital explored a number of options that utilized the full extent of the current building along with expansion on the existing site. Each on-site option presented different opportunities and challenges in planning and design, and resulted in varying cost structures based on the complexity of the renovation or area of reuse.
The complexity involved in renovating and expanding a functioning hospital can result in a higher overall cost relative to building a new hospital on a greenfield site. This is mainly due to higher phasing costs, infection control measures, and infrastructure upgrades required to get the existing building to contemporary standards. In some of the explored options from Stage 1 planning, the renovation and expansion of the existing building resulted in a lower projected cost relative to a new hospital on a greenfield site, due to the associated trade-offs in clinical and operational performance.
Stage 2 work will continue to explore the viability and costs related to the renovation and reuse of the existing building, which will all be considered in the final decision on what hospital development looks like for CGMH.
Would it be possible to re-use the existing building for clinics?
One of the potential development options explored renovation and reuse of the existing building. Yes, it is possible to use the existing building for office type functions including clinics. Any repurposing of the existing site and building, other than for hospital use, would involve discussions with all stakeholders, including the surrounding community and the Collingwood Town Council.
Can we keep the existing hospital for trauma and create another facility?
The Ontario Ministry of Health & Long Term Care designates Trauma Centres in Ontario. Currently only Level 1 Centers are designated which are all associated with academic and major regional Hospitals with neurosurgery and other tertiary level capability. Severe trauma patients from centres such as Collingwood, Barrie or Orillia are transported to Level 1 Centres such as Sunnybrook or St. Michaels. A standalone facility is not feasible or appropriate.
Have you considered moving services out of the hospital such as dialysis, physiotherapy and chemotherapy?
Careful consideration has been given for the inclusion of various services on-site vs. off-site as part of the planning process; this will continue through the next stages of planning, as the project proceeds. CGMH has long had a policy of providing the necessary services on-site, but seeks to provide services in the community, where possible - in the pursuit of 'the right care, in the right place, at the right time'. As examples, the Diabetes Program was moved to the community in 2012, and community partners including the Hospital, the YMCA and the Georgian Bay Family Health Team began providing Pulmonary Rehabilitation off-site at the YMCA for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), some years ago. With respect to dialysis, at this time, dialysis has been included as part of the redevelopment (as agreed to by the Ontario Renal Network), to provide flexibility as needs and care models continue to evolve. It is noted that the picture of local and regional dialysis services could change in the future, in which case CGMH would evolve accordingly.
Given that >70% of the current hospital's building systems have exceeded their life expectancy, has a costing been developed related to the replacement of these systems and can it even be done while continuing to operate the facility?
The hospital in partnership with the MOHLTC produces regular Facility Condition Assessment reports that outline current and future needs. Estimated cost over the next 20 years exceeds $60M to renew and refresh hospital infrastructure and building systems. There might be some disruption to hospital operations depending on the specific building project being completed. It should be noted that these costs are to maintain current hospital infrastructure, and do not include projects relating to hospital expansion. Typically, the Hospital will be fully responsible for such renewal costs.
Will CGMH be adding a pediatric unit to the new hospital?
CGMH has investigated adding a pediatric unit as part of the new hospital, as we continue to move through our Stage 2 work. However, at the present time and using the projected volumes data we currently have, CGMH does not receive the volume of patients required to support a pediatric unit. Therefore, CGMH would not receive funding from the Ministry of Health to operate a pediatric unit. Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Orillia is a regional partner that currently provides pediatric support. Should the volumes change in the future, this would be reinvestigated again.
