The Government of Ontario has started St. Francis Memorial Hospital’s (SFMH) emergency department expansion and its ambulatory care clinic renovation.
The project, which enhances healthcare services for Renfrew County and its environs, represents the hospital’s most substantial redevelopment to date. It is backed by an investment exceeding C$18.6m ($13.46m).
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Ontario Health Minister and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones said: “Our government is protecting Ontario’s health care system and ensuring that more people in Renfrew County can connect to convenient emergency care, where and when they need it most.
“By investing in a new and expanded St. Francis Memorial Hospital emergency department, we are making it faster and easier for more people and their families to access high-quality emergency and ambulatory care in their community, for years to come.”
The expansion will add approximately 6,000ft2 to the hospital, featuring a dedicated entrance and separate waiting area for the emergency department.
This redevelopment aims to facilitate more efficient access to emergency and ambulatory care in a modernised setting.
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By GlobalDataThe new emergency department, once operational, is expected to handle around 11,900 visits annually and will include a range of modern facilities.
These facilities will encompass an isolation room with negative air pressure to prevent the spread of airborne infections, a new ambulance entrance to enhance patient flow, quiet rooms for patients suffering from mental health, an improved trauma area for swift emergency responses, and heightened infection prevention measures.
Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke Member of Provincial Parliament Billy Denault said: “We are delighted to see the Province of Ontario’s investment in a key community asset in the St. Francis Memorial Hospital Emergency Department and renovation of the Ambulatory Care Clinic.
“This is another example of our government’s commitment to protecting Ontario’s health care and connecting people where it matters most.”
The construction, which will not disrupt the 24/7 accessibility of the current emergency department, is slated for completion in March 2027.
The project is part of the Ontario government’s broader initiative, Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, aimed at expanding and modernising hospital facilities across the province.
This follows a similar initiative last month, where the government began the phased expansion of the emergency department at Guelph General Hospital to better cater to emergency mental health and addiction services.
