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Executive Council
Health and Community Services
May 28, 2010

Construction to Start on Health Centre in Lewisporte

Continuing with the commitment to strengthening long-term care throughout the province, the Provincial Government will start on the construction of a new health centre in Lewisporte. The Honourable Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, along with the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Health and Community Services, participated in the official sod-turning ceremony on the site of the new Lewisporte Health Centre, which once constructed will include long-term care beds and a dementia bungalow. Premier Williams and Minister Kennedy were joined by Rosemarie Goodyear, Senior Vice-President of Quality, Planning and Priorities with Central Health; Wade Verge, MHA of Lewisporte; and Brian Peckford, Mayor of Lewisporte.

"Our government is firmly committed to improving healthcare throughout the rural regions of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Premier Williams. "The significant investments in long-term care supports, including investments in infrastructure such as the new facility in Lewisporte, reinforce our continued commitment to enhancing long-term care within our province. This investment in the construction of the new health centre, which includes a new long-term care home, will help meet the current and future needs of Lewisporte residents."

Through Budget 2010: The Right Investments — For Our Children and Our Future, the Provincial Government will invest $8 million to start construction of the new health centre in Lewisporte, with a total investment of nearly $30 million once construction is complete. The new facility will include 51 long-term care beds, as well as resident care services, after-hours emergency services and laboratory and x-ray services. Adjacent to the new facility will be a duplex bungalow designed for 12 dementia beds.

"We are listening to the needs of people of this province and making the right investments to enhance healthcare throughout Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister Kennedy. "Our commitment to improving long-term care and community supports throughout the province is very clear. In fact, our total investment of approximately $60 million in Budget 2010 will improve services and enhance supports across the province with the goal of a revitalized and strengthened long-term care and community supports services system."

Site work has already started, which includes water and sewer work and construction of the service building. A tender will be called in June for construction of the facility, which is expected to begin in August of this year.

"The funding approved for this phase of the project will enable health care professionals to operate in a state-of-the-art facility and will help enhance long-term care for an aging population," said Ms. Goodyear.

"This is a great day for the residents of Lewisporte district," said Mr. Verge. "I am extremely pleased to see that construction of our new health facility will begin in the near future.  The construction phase will create additional employment opportunities in the region and the completed project will yield a fully modern health facility.  This significant investment by the Williams Government will benefit all people in my district through the delivery of an improved health service."

"This investment in our health centre is tremendous news to Lewisporte and surrounding area," said Mayor Peckford. "This facility has been a vision of many people in our community for a very long time and I want to thank government, especially MHA Verge, Minister Kennedy and Premier Williams for making this vision a reality. This new facility will enhance the ability of staff to provide safe, quality care but more importantly it will greatly improve the care provided to residents and patients, as well as centralize services. This announcement reaffirms government's commitment to rural health care."

The Williams Government's significant investments in long-term care in Budget 2010 include $27.3 million for the continued development of two new long-term care facilities in St. John's; $4 million to start construction on a new 250-bed long-term care facility in Carbonear; $3 million to finish construction of the Corner Brook long-term care facility; as well as $2.1 million to finalize the long-term care facility in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Approximately $1.7 million will be invested in a new protective care community residence in Bonavista with specialized care and accommodations for individuals with mild to moderate dementia.

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Media contacts:

Elizabeth Matthews
Director of Communications
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960
elizabethmatthews@gov.nl.ca
Andrea Nolan
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
709-729-4304, 727-0991
andreanolan@gov.nl.ca
Tansy Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Health and
Community Services
709-729-1377, 685-2646
tansymundon@gov.nl.ca
Roger Pike
Director of Communications
Central Health
709-292-2138
Roger.pike@centralhealth.nl.ca 

Donna Ivey
Communications Manager
Government Members Office
709-729-0898, 697-1424
donnaivey@gov.nl.ca

 

2010 05 28                                                       2:40 p.m.
 


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