The Ontario government has announced the start of construction to expand St. Francis Memorial Hospital’s (SFMH) emergency department and renovate the ambulatory care clinic.

The updated facility will make it faster and easier for people in Renfrew County and surrounding areas to connect to emergency and ambulatory care, the province says. 

“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,” said Health Minister Sylvia Jones. “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 province is investing over $18.6 million to support the largest redevelopment in the hospital’s history, which includes renovating the hospital’s ambulatory care clinic and expanding its emergency department by adding approximately 6,000 square feet to the hospital. The expanded emergency department will be connected to the existing hospital and offer a dedicated, convenient entrance with a separate waiting room. This redevelopment will allow more patients and their families to connect to timely and high-quality emergency and ambulatory care in a modernized and more comfortable setting.

Once opened, the new state-of-the-art emergency department will accommodate an estimated 11,900 visits each year and will include: a dedicated isolation room that prevents the spread of airborne infectious diseases, a new ambulance entrance, an upgraded trauma area, and improved infection prevention and control measures.

"The redevelopment project will ensure that high quality, emergency services are provided for decades to come,” said hospital President and CEO Suzanne Madore. “This project supports the hospital vision to be a leader in health services that are patient centred, integrated and responsive to rural community health needs."

St. Francis Memorial Hospital is a 20-bed community hospital located in the village of Barry’s Bay, serving approximately 10,000 people living in Renfrew County, and South Algonquin Township in the District of Nipissing and Algonquin Park.

As the only emergency department between Pembroke and Huntsville, the hospital sees more than 11,000 visits and over 6,000 ambulatory care visits a year.