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Health and Community Services
May 18, 2011

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Health and Community Services:

Progress Continues on Major Health Infrastructure Projects

I rise in this Honourable House today to provide an update on the progress of our government’s significant health care infrastructure projects throughout the province. Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador, furthered the Provincial Government’s commitment of advancing health infrastructure with investments of $200.6 million for new construction and redevelopment projects, $50 million for new equipment and $21.6 million for repairs and renovations.

Budget 2011 includes new and significant health-related infrastructure projects, including an investment of $4.5 million for the initial planning of a new mental health facility to replace the Waterford Hospital. In addition to new projects, we continue to fund existing projects, some of which have reached, or are about to reach, significant milestones.

I am particularly pleased to report that our continued investment, $23.7 million in Budget 2011, has allowed the next phase of construction to begin at the Labrador West Health Centre. Significant progress has been made to date on this $90 million project. Site preparation was completed late in 2008 and work was completed on the foundation and structural steel this past fall. Construction for the main building is anticipated to begin within the next two weeks and the facility is expected to be ready for occupancy by 2014.

This past fall, site preparation was completed for the new Lewisporte Community Health Centre. The foundation for the facility has been laid and construction of the structural steel frame is on-going. The $29.9 million facility is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2013.

I am also pleased to report that construction is about to begin for the Strait of Belle Isle Health Care Clinic in Flower’s Cove. A contract totalling over $7 million has been awarded, final design drawings are now being reviewed and construction will begin in the coming weeks.

Significant work also continues on the hospital being constructed in Corner Brook in which we are investing $18.5 million in Budget 2011. Work also continues on the $150 million new long-term care facility in St. John’s which will replace the Hoyles Escasoni Home and the $30 million redevelopment of the Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Projects of this scale are complex and take a significant amount of time to complete and we are pleased with the progress that has taken place to date. We currently have 25 significant infrastructure projects on-going, 15 of which are outside of St. John’s. Our dedication to these projects further illustrates our commitment to providing quality health care infrastructure, especially in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

2011 05 18             2:15 p.m.

 
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