The Brant Community Healthcare System’s (BCHS) New Hospital Project represents an unprecedented investment in the health and well‑being of Brantford‑Brant and surrounding communities. The decisions made now about where to put the new hospital will shape the foundation of local healthcare in our communities for decades to come.
For Don Shilton, Chair of the independent Site Identification Task Force, the process to find the ideal location for the new hospital is of the upmost importance.
“Choosing the right location is an enduring decision, one that will have everlasting impacts on our community for generations,” says Shilton. “This means we’re focussed on finding a site that best reflects the needs of our community.”
Established in 1885, the John H. Stratford Hospital served as Brantford’s first hospital at a time when the community was significantly smaller, and needs were less complex. Today, substantial population growth and evolving patient needs have outpaced what the current Brantford General Hospital (BGH) infrastructure can support.
“Challenges that people see everyday at BGH speak to some of the original hospital buildings that were, in some cases, constructed nearly 100 years ago,” Shilton says. “The current BGH infrastructure simply cannot accommodate the level of modernization, expansion, and flexibility required to meet the evolving healthcare needs of our growing community.”
While BGH is currently undergoing a $32M Emergency Department Renovation Improvement Project, the overwhelming message from hospital staff, patients, and the community alike is a call to build a new, modern, and larger hospital – not just renovations or “band-aid” fixes.
This is why a new hospital is so critical, and planning starts with finding the right site. The independent Task Force leading the BCHS site identification process has officially issued a public Call for Land. This call invites all interested landowners to submit their sites for consideration as the potential future home of the new hospital serving Brantford-Brant and surrounding communities.
All interested landowners are invited to visit reimaginebchs.ca to learn more about the Call for Land. Please note that only site submissions received through the Biddingo portal, which can be accessed at https://www.biddingo.com/bchs, will be reviewed and evaluated by the Task Force.
“This is a huge initiative, and through thousands of responses to our online survey, many focus groups and interviews, and direct feedback and comments received, the community has already played an important role in shaping the full range of evaluation criteria for the new hospital site,” Shilton says.
The benefits of a new, modern hospital go far beyond a transformative shift in local healthcare. A new hospital also strengthens the local economy, supports job creation, and makes it easier to attract and retain skilled healthcare professionals – which is an ongoing challenge across the province.
The independent Task Force responsible for the site identification process brings together exceptional expertise, including Indigenous perspectives on land use and community impact.
“The Task Force members are fantastic, and we all want to ensure that this is a transparent, open, and community informed process in which the Task Force is trusted to make the best recommendation possible,” says Shilton.
“These are the right people at the right time, and I am very grateful that they have given themselves to this project. The community will ultimately be stronger because of them and the work being done today. This is a generational moment for healthcare in Brantford-Brant, and we are very hopeful and excited for the future of healthcare in our region.”
InsideBCHS is written by the Brant Community Healthcare System.
Read the article on The Brantford Expositor website.
Photo: Don Shilton, Chair of the independent Site Identification Task Force, stands out front of the Brantford General Hospital.