Kingston and the Islands MPP Sopie Kiwala announces health infrastructure renewal funding for KGH.
Kingston and the Islands MPP Sopie Kiwala announces health infrastructure renewal funding for KGH.
Credit
Peter Jeffrey

Work will soon be getting underway to make improvements to Kingston General Hospital buildings thanks to funding announced by Kingston and the Islands MPP Sophie Kiwala. On Wednesday, August 19, Kiwala visited KGH to announce that the hospital would be receiving $4.7 million dollars from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund.

The funding will be used to support several specific upgrades at KGH including roof repairs as well as improvements to the hospital’s fire alarm and nurse call systems. The funding will also be used to update the heating system on the ramp to the Emergency Department as well as upgrade the air handling systems in several areas of the hospital.

“We are pleased with the leadership that this government has shown on the issue of infrastructure renewal and applaud their continued support, in particular for Kingston General Hospital,” says Leslee Thompson, CEO of KGH. “By continually investing in and upgrading our buildings we are able to move closer to our aim of providing Outstanding Care, Always to our patients and their families.”

KGH has some of the oldest hospital facilities in Canada, with some buildings dating back to the mid to late eighteen hundreds. While this history makes the hospital unique, it also creates unique issues that must be addressed. For example, some of the funds this year will also be used for masonry work on several of the hospital’s limestone buildings.

“Our teams work diligently to keep our facilities up-to-date,” says Allan McLuskie, KGH’s Director of Facilities. “However, we still have a list of deferred infrastructure projects that add up to around $120 million. Without continued support from the Ministry, with funding such as this, it would be difficult to address our facility needs.”

This local funding was part of a larger province wide funding announcement made earlier in the day by Premier Kathleen Wynne. In total Ontario hospitals will be receiving $125 million from the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund. Providence Care will be receiving about $1.4 million and Hotel Dieu Hospital will receive about $2.1 million to support some of their facility projects.