NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Building a Stronger, More Resilient SHN

Investments will support planning for over $1 billion in new health infrastructure to care for families in Scarborough

April 14, 2022

SCARBOROUGH ” As part of its plan to stay open, Ontario is investing over $1 billion in several major redevelopment and expansion projects for the Scarborough Health Network. This funding will build more capacity for Scarborough and surrounding communities as the province adds more hospital beds and health care workers to ensure the health system is better able to respond to crisis.

“Because of underfunding and neglect, the people of Scarborough have been forced to make do with aging hospital infrastructure with limited space to deliver the care they deserve,” said Premier Doug Ford. “While previous governments were okay with forgetting Scarborough, we are investing over $1 billion to give this community access to the world class health care they have been asking for. We’re getting it done for the people of Scarborough.”
Scarborough Health Network currently provides care to more than 832,000 people in one of Canada’s most diverse communities. As Scarborough and the surrounding communities continue to grow, so will the demand for health care services. To build the necessary capacity to meet this demand, the government is working with Scarborough Health Network on several projects that through a phased approach will redesign and reimagine aging hospital facilities for the people of Scarborough.

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Building a new Birchmount Hospital
The government is investing an additional $3 million to plan a new Birchmount Hospital, which is a key part of Scarborough Health Network’s broader plan to transform health care in the region. The network plans to build the new Birchmount Hospital by making major renovations to the existing facility and building new infrastructure over the course of this phased billion-dollar redevelopment.
As part of the first phase, planning is underway to build a new, state-of-the-art inpatient tower with more than 200 new beds, 14 new operating rooms and additional space to support future growth. Once completed, Birchmount Hospital is planned to have over 450 beds, nearly doubling the current capacity.
Health care services at the hospital are also planned to be expanded as part of the redevelopment, including medicine, surgery, critical and emergency care, mental health and addictions care and stroke and rehabilitation care. With these enhanced services, Scarborough Health Network will be able to provide high-quality care to patients for generations to come.

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Expanding emergency care services at Centenary Hospital
Building a stronger, more resilient health care system in Scarborough means creating space so that local emergency departments are not overcapacity. Scarborough Health Network provides care to more than 200,000 patients every year in its three emergency departments, which are often at double their intended capacity of visits.
To ensure that families in Scarborough can access emergency care when they need it, Ontario previously invested $500,000 to support the redevelopment of the emergency department and fracture clinic at Centenary Hospital. The redevelopment, which has now moved to Stage 2 of the planning process, will expand emergency services by replacing aging infrastructure with the latest in emergency medicine design and technology and creating more space for emergency care.

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Funding a new chronic kidney disease program at Bridletowne Neighbourhood Centre
Scarborough Health Network has the largest nephrology program in Ontario and provides care for more than 6,000 patients every year. To help the network continue to provide high-quality care and meet the growing demand for dialysis treatment in Scarborough, the government is supporting the planning and construction of a new chronic kidney disease facility that will be located in the new Bridletowne Neighbourhood Centre community hub.
The new facility will expand the network’s hemodialysis and chronic kidney disease programs and bring services together under one roof to make it easier and more convenient for patients to access lifesaving treatment.

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Modernizing surgical services and expanding diagnostic imaging services at the General Hospital
The government is investing over $20 million in renovations at Scarborough General Hospital that will expand diagnostic imaging services and modernize one of the operating rooms to meet the community’s growing needs. This will improve access to care for patients by having one central location for diagnostic imaging and updating one of the oldest operating rooms in Ontario. Ontario continues to work with the hospital to advance the project.
“Our government is looking at every part of our health care system to improve access to care for patients and bolster the incredible work of our local hospitals,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Every project at Scarborough Health Network will help meet the health care needs of families in the growing Scarborough community and put an end to hallway health care.”
Ontario is making investments in health infrastructure projects like these to help expand capacity across the health care system to treat more patients and improve access to integrated care. To further support the high-quality care provided by Ontario’s hospitals, the government is providing an additional $827 million to hospitals across the province, representing a four per cent increase from last year. This will ensure all publicly funded hospitals receive a minimum two per cent increase to their budgets to help them better meet patient needs, while building a stronger, more resilient health care system.