Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario government is providing funding for planning, design and construction of a new cardiac catheterization lab at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener.
“As the Regional Cardiac Care Centre (RCCC) for Waterloo-Wellington, St. Mary’s is recognized nationally as providing leading-edge innovative cardiac care. For patients experiencing an acute cardiac event, getting the right care as quickly as possible can mean all the difference, and the demand for interventional and structural cardiology procedures has never been higher,” said Dr. Jaffer Syed, joint chief & medical director of cardiology.
The plan is to renovate about 3,500 square feet of space accommodate a new catheterization lab suite that will allow the St. Mary’s Regional Cardiac Care Centre to complete more cardiac procedures.
“Our government is continuing to make record investments in health care to connect more Ontarians to convenient care options, close to home,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “The addition of this new cardiac lab will allow even more people across Southwestern Ontario to access state-of-the-art cardiac care in their community, when they need it.”
St. Mary’s Regional Cardiac Care Centre has one of the highest volumes of Ontario’s regional cardiac centres, with the number of people coming to the centre for procedures expected to grow substantially in the next five years. With the addition of this third lab, St. Mary’s can reduce wait times and complete more life-saving procedures such as angiograms, angioplasties, and minimally invasive surgeries.
It’s one of 20 Regional Cardiac Care Centres (RCCC) in Ontario that provides a range of advanced cardiac services to diagnose and treat both common and complex heart and blood vessel problems.
The province says it will spend about $48 billion in hospital infrastructure over the next 10 years, including supports for more than 50 hospital projects that would add 3,000 new beds over 10 years.
“I’m incredibly excited about this announcement,” said Kitchener South MPP Jess Dixon. “The third cath lab was one of the first requests I remember getting as a newly elected politician.
“This is a huge step forward in increasing local cardiac care access and shows this government’s commitment to funding vital preventative healthcare.”