Mayor asks province to consult city on new hospital location
The mayor of St. John’s says city hall was just as surprised as anyone else when Transportation and Infrastructure (TI) Minister John Abbott told reporters on Feb. 16 the former site of the Grace Hospital was not being considered as a possible location for a new hospital in the capital city and that they were looking at other options.
Danny Breen said what wasn’t surprising was that the province had not consulted the City of St. John's about it.
It's nothing new, he says, since they haven’t had any conversations at all with the department about where a replacement for St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital would go.
“There have been no discussions that I’m aware of,” Breen told Saltwire.
DISCUSSION WANTED
That's something he'd like to see change
“With the pending replacement of St. Clare’s, we'd like to have a discussion about potential sites," Breen said.
"If they're looking beyond the Grace hospital site, if there are other sites out there, how that factors into where we see the growth in the city, transit issues, and other things we need to discuss. I think it'd be a good opportunity for us to get some idea of what we're looking at and see how that fits into the city.”
Breen said St. Clare’s provides a critical service to residents of the city, especially in the downtown area. He says it’s important that wherever the location of the new hospital may be, it serves the needs of the population.
NO KNOWLEDGE
Breen has sent a letter to Abbott and Health and Community Services Minister Tom Osborne requesting a meeting about where the new hospital might go, and what the province's plans are for other properties in the city.
“They’re building a new prison, what will they do with the old one? And the Waterford, what’s the plan for that site?" he said.
"That might be one of the other locations they’re looking at for this hospital, but we don’t know. These are conversations the city should be a part of.”
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Saltwire contacted the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and asked to speak to Abbott about the process and was told via an emailed response that the work to replace the St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in St. John’s is "ongoing, and no decision has been made yet as to where the new hospital will be located.”
The statement also indicated "it is possible that the former Grace Hospital site on Lemarchant Road in St. John’s will be too small for this project, but we will continue to work with all stakeholders, including the City of St. John’s, as we finalize site options.
“In addition, the Department of Health and Community Services recognizes the need for health-care services in the downtown area and will meet that demand well into the future, regardless of where the new St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital is eventually located.”
The department's emailed response stated the initial focus is to determine the scale of the proposed facility and consider the size of the former Grace Hospital site, which is ongoing, and once that work is completed, the department will consult with the City of St. John’s and other key stakeholders.