COMMUNITY CELEBRATES RVH GROUNDBREAKING WHILE HOSPITAL SALUTES “REGION OF BELIEVERS”

Royal Victoria Hospital celebrated, not just the official groundbreaking for its Phase 1 Expansion Project today, but the region-wide “belief in a dream” that is making the redevelopment possible.

“This is not just a hospital we’re building. It is the heart and soul of the community, and people throughout this region should all be very proud of the milestone we are celebrating today,” said Chair of the RVH Board of Directors Steve Blanchet. “Your support of this project will allow us to enhance patient care; recruit and retrain skilled professionals; and ensure excellence is at the heart of everything we do here at RVH.”

The theme of the celebration was “believing in the future” as children dressed in surgical scrubs, lead by Ron Brown from the Kempenfelt Pipes and Drums, kicked-off the ceremony by arriving hand-in-hand with members of the RVH Auxiliary, followed by the Joy the Performing Arts Musical Theatre students singing “I Believe”, the slogan for the hospital’s community fundraising campaign.

“This expansion embodies our hopes and dreams for future generations,” RVH President and CEO Janice Skot told the hundreds of guests who packed the hospital’s atrium for the celebration. “Today we’re able to start a new chapter in Royal Victoria Hospital’s proud 112-year history, because the people of this region never lost faith that we could make that dream a reality.”

Barrie MPP and Minister of Culture Aileen Carroll said “I am pleased to see construction underway on Royal Victoria’s expansion project. This project demonstrates our government’s commitment to provide resources and facilities to serve the health care needs of people across Ontario.”

Construction is progressing rapidly on the $400 million expansion, which will double the size of the existing hospital and include 101 new inpatient beds and two patient care units for future expansion; a dedicated Coronary Care Unit; an expanded Emergency Department, Imaging Services Department and Laboratory; two new operating rooms; and the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre. The cancer centre will feature four radiation suites and will log 60,000 patient visits in its first of operation alone.

11 year-old Garrett McMullen, who lost his mother Doris to cancer just over a month ago, told the overflow crowd of the impact the cancer centre will have on patients and their families throughout the region. “My mom battled cancer all my life and I don’t want anyone to ever have to go through what we did,” said Garrett who, while his mom was still alive, sold wristbands to raise money for the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre. “This cancer centre will provide other mothers and fathers with treatment close to home so they can be with their families - with their children – who still need them.” Speaker after speaker paid tribute to the remarkable generosity of the people of Simcoe Muskoka who have contributed over $34 million to the hospital’s “I Believe” fundraising campaign. In addition to that money raised by the community, the City of Barrie has committed $52.5 million and the County of Simcoe has pledged $20 million.

“The support has been remarkable. From bake sales to bonspiels, people across this region have demonstrated a profound spirit of giving and unwavering faith,” said “I Believe” campaign chair David Blenkarn. “RVH is known as an incredibly compassionate hospital, and that kindness is a direct reflection of the compassionate community in which we live.” Instead of the typical sod-turning, each of the ceremony’s participants – led by children with plastic shovels and pails -- planted seedlings to symbolize the impact the expansion will have on the region for generations to come.

“It has been said that ‘the true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit,’” said Skot. “In three years, when the Phase 1 Expansion is complete, these seedlings will be ready to plant on the grounds of an expanded RVH, where they’ll provide shade and protection for generations to come.”

The Phase 1 Expansion is expected to provide a significant economic stimulus to the region as well. Vanbots, the project’s general contractor, estimates the three-year project will generate 1,000 ‘person years’ of work, with over 200 construction workers onsite everyday -- 75 per cent of whom will be local. Once complete, the hospital will hire over 1,000 additional employees.

In addition to the 400,000 square feet of new space, expected to be completed in late-2011, about 100,000 square feet of renovations will occur within the existing hospital until 2013. Also being built adjacent to the hospital is Rotary House, a residential lodge for cancer who live more than 40 kilometers outside Barrie, and a Family Medicine Teaching Unit, in partnership with the University of Toronto.

About RVH: Royal Victoria Hospital is a 299-bed community hospital in Barrie, Ontario, located 80 kilometres north of Toronto. As the largest hospital in Simcoe Muskoka, it provides specialty services to almost half a million Central Ontario residents. RVH’s team of over 200 physicians, 2,200 employees and 1,100 volunteers provide exceptional health care, specializing in emergency services, cancer care, surgical services, intensive care, mental health, interventional radiology and stroke care. RVH has embarked on a Phase 1 Expansion Project which will double the size of the existing hospital, while adding 101 new inpatient beds and the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre. For more information, visit our website at www.rvh.on.ca.