Medical centre coming to Niagara

— A new medical centre will be built in Niagara-on-the-Lake, becoming home to both the Niagaraon-the-Lake Family Physicians and the Niagara North Family Health Team.

The project, slated to open by fall of 2019, was announced by the two groups Monday.

It will bring the town’s health professionals, including 11 physicians and a series of allied professionals, under one roof at a new building to be constructed on land to the east of Crossroads Public School, at the corner of Line 2 and Niagara Stone Road in Virgil.

The centre is being developed by longtime Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Lloyd Redekopp and his family, after his bid was selected by physicians and the family health team after a request for proposals process earlier this year.

“The basic concept was we wanted to bring everybody under one roof, where the physicians and the family health team can provide the best collaborative primary care you can find,” said Dr. Karen Berti of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Family Physicians. “There is a lot of work to be done, but it’s an exciting opportunity.”

Currently, she said, the physicians and family health team operate out of two facilities, the former Niagara-on-the-Lake hospital site in Old Town as well as the Niagara Medical Centre in Virgil.

Mary Keith, executive director of the Niagara North Family Health Team, said the ability to have the physicians and family health team all under one roof is key for the community.

The family health team consists of a series of allied professionals — social workers, dietitians, nurses and other service providers — working in conjunction with the physicians to offer a wide scope of care to Niagara-on-the-Lake residents.

“This new medical centre will increase collaboration between both our team and the other health related services within its walls, which is great for the community,” she said.