Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, President & CEO of Thunder Bay Regional Health and Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland - (Supplied by MPP Holland's Office)
Northwestern Ontario is getting a cardiovascular surgery program.
It is the first of its kind in the region and will save patients from traveling over 10 hours to receive surgery in Toronto.
The provincial government is investing over $93 million in the construction of the new facility being built at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre.
The new funding adds to the government’s previous investment of over $5.7 million to support early planning and design for the project.
“Today marks a significant milestone for Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario with the announcement of the new Cardiovascular Surgery Program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre,” said the MPP for Thunder Bay – Atikokan, Kevin Holland. “This $93 million investment will bring life-saving cardiac care closer to home for thousands of residents, eliminating the need for travel to Toronto for surgery. Since I was elected in 2022, I’ve worked closely with local healthcare providers to as of today secure over $263 million in life-changing funding for the healthcare sector in Thunder Bay – Atikokan.”
The new facility will include over 76,000 square feet of space that will be renovated and expanded to accommodate the new program.
This will allow Thunder Bay’s health sciences centre to complete vital cardiac procedures, reduce wait times for urgent and elective procedures, and ensure timely access to essential services in the region.
The project will include:
- 14 new cardiovascular surgery inpatient care unit beds
- 6 coronary care unit beds
- New state-of-the-art surgical suite
- Expanded ambulatory care and pre-admission clinic
- New vascular lab
- Renovations to medical devices, reprocessing, and biomedical departments
The new services will also help to increase capacity and address surgical wait times in other hospitals across the province that currently perform cardiovascular surgeries for patients from Northwestern Ontario.
“This investment in Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is great news for the people of Northwestern Ontario. It brings us closer to establishing a Cardiovascular program – meaning patients can look forward to receiving lifesaving treatment right here at home.” Said President & CEO of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre, Rhonda Crocker Ellacott. “We are committed to evolving to meet the needs of our community and this funding helps us do just that. We appreciate the support in making high-quality care more accessible and the government’s dedication to invest in our future.”
Construction on this project is scheduled to begin in early 2025 and is expected to be completed in late 2027.
