The new Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital project has reached another major planning milestone with the submission of its Stage 1.3 (formerly Stage 2) plan to the Ministry of Health.

The submission, which is the result of extensive collaboration with many partners within the hospital, the community and the province, includes a functional program, a set of block diagrams, a campus plan, and an updated cost estimate.

It was developed over the past 16 months by expert hospital planners, in consultation with 40 user groups representing all hospital programs and services. It also includes current and future project volumes and incorporates the extensive community feedback received throughout this planning stage.

"This is an innovative and inclusive plan that really captures what the user groups involved in planning have determined is required to build a state-of-the-art hospital with the capacity to provide timely, patient and family-centred care for generations to come," said David Musyj, President and CEO.

The hospital shared a draft version of the plan during a recent town hall series before the document was endorsed by the Windsor Regional Hospital Board of Directors and submitted to the province.

Highlights include: capacity for 100% private rooms, shelled-in space for future growth, a simulation training centre and auditorium, an Indigenous healing space, a cafeteria with access to outdoor seating, and links to city-planned trails and bus service

The ball is now in the ministry’s court. Its capital branch will review the submission, provide feedback and work with the hospital to ensure the final approved plan aligns with provincial expectations and standards for modern and efficient hospital care.

"We look forward to working with the Ministry throughout this approval process, responding promptly to feedback and getting a final plan approved so we move to the next planning stage and get this hospital built for Windsor-Essex," said Musyj.

The submission is the first of three planning stages outlined in the Ministry of Health's Capital Planning and Policy Manual. Ministry approval is required before proceeding to Stage 2 - Detailed Planning - where the teams will further develop the plans and initiate the tendering process to select a company to complete the plans and build the hospital.

In its November 2022 P3 Market Update, Infrastructure Ontario announced an expedited timeline for the project that will see the tendering process begin in 2025 and "shovels in the ground" by 2026. The update values the project at less than $1 billion.