Construction has officially started on the new Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital in Picton.

The new health-care facility will include improved equipment and facilities such as a 24-hour emergency department, connecting more people in Bay of Quinte to the care they need, close to home.

To date, the Ontario government has provided $10 million in capital funding to build the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital. Once opened, the new hospital will connect families in the region to the hospital care they need now and for years to come, including:

• 23 in-patient beds
• a larger, 24/7 emergency department
• modern surgical suites
• dialysis treatments and diagnostic imaging
• outpatient care services including minor surgical procedures such as endoscopies

"It’s the culmination of hard work, passion, generosity, and good old-fashioned tenacity that has brought us to this exciting milestone,” said Quinte Health President and CEO Stacey Daub. “After more than a decade, we are moving forward with the build-phase of the new hospital, and I am filled with gratitude."

Last month, the province announced it had awarded the P3 contract for the project to M. Sullivan & Son Limited. The project is being delivered using a design-bid-build model.

The Ontario government is also supporting the redevelopment and expansion of Trenton Memorial Hospital’s emergency department, adding 1,000 square feet of new space.