Ground broken on new West Lincoln hospital

For residents of west Niagara, Saturday was a long day coming.

After years of community-driven activism, ground was officially broken on the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

“The pandemic has shone a bright light on the need for continued investment in modern health-care facilities designed to meet the highest standards of safety and enable health-care workers to provide the most exceptional experience possible for patients and families,” said Rob MacIsaac, president and CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences.

“We are excited about the future of West Lincoln Memorial Hospital as a site of Hamilton Health Sciences and are grateful to the government for its unwavering support to build a modern hospital in this region.”

Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton said the municipality is very pleased to see construction begin, noting the new hospital will benefit residents of the community.

While Premier Doug Ford was unable to attend the event in person, he called in to address the crowd.

“I’ve never seen a community get behind a hospital like this,” Ford said.

Infrastructure Ontario has awarded a fixed-price contract of $224million for the new build.

Some of the new features planned include acute in-patient beds, a 24hour emergency department, maternal and newborn services, day surgical services including endoscopy and minor procedures, increase ambulatory care space and advanced diagnostics including Xray, mammography, ultrasound and CT scanner.

The new WLMH will be constructed behind the existing facility, allowing the hospital to remain operational until the new one is built.

I’ve never seen a community get behind a hospital like this.

DOUG FORD ONTARIO PREMIER