THUNDER BAY – The mental health wing expansion of St. Joseph’s Hospital is expected to be completed later than originally expected, but the organization’s top executive is optimistic it will be done by the end of 2017.
St. Joseph’s Care Group president and chief executive officer Tracy Buckler on Friday said the east wing construction is proceeding “on schedule” but noted there have been a few issues which may push the timeline back by as much as a couple of months.
“There have been a few delays in terms of the contractor receiving some material,” Buckler said. “That’s not uncommon in a project of this size. The contract date is October. It may be delayed somewhat after October but we’re hopeful the latest it will be completed is the end of this calendar year.”
Construction on the $52-million east wing began in 2015, shortly after Premier Kathleen Wynne visited the site for a ceremonial ground breaking where she announced the province would be covering 90 per cent of the capital costs.
The contract for the expansion was awarded to Bondfield Construction, a firm based in Concord, Ont.
Buckler said St. Joseph’s management meets with Bondfield on a weekly basis to stay updated on the progress of the project.
“There’s drywall being completed or fully completed. The flooring is being put down,” Buckler said. “There is a lot of interior work going on. There’s some electrical work that needs to be completed. These are all tasks on the project completion list with dates associated with them and we’re hopeful they’re going to be met.”
The new 100,000 square foot mental health wing will feature 38 inpatient beds along with hosting a number of outpatient services currently operating at the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital site.
“The move won’t take long,” Buckler said. “Although it’s a big part of the St. Joseph Hospital building’s square footage, it’s a relatively small number of beds.”
Buckler said an internal transition team has been established to begin planning for the move, which she said had originally been targeted to be done before Christmas.
There are other factors for the patients, she added.
“Not all of the clients currently at the LPH will move over because a lot of our clients are waiting for housing and they don’t need to be in more of an institutional environment,” Buckler said.
“Every client is assessed, has an individualized plan of care and when the time comes to move we’ll make sure everyone is accounted for.”
