Officials, staff and guests gathered to mark the opening of the new 178-bed state-of-the-art Woodstock General Hospital on Friday.
Minister of Health and Long Term Care Deb Matthews says "You deserve this hospital. You deserve the care that will be delivered in this hospital."
Occupancy at the 350,000 sq. ft. facility will begin this fall, on time and on budget, almost exactly three years after workers broke ground in November 2008.
Natasa Veljovic, president and CEO of Woodstock General Hospital, says "With great optimism we look forward to November 2011 as we move our patients into this new facility."
The community has been lobbying for a newer bigger building for many years.
The project has in fact been in the works for more than 15 years, says Ed Down, chair of the Board of Trust at Woodstock General Hospital.
"The beginning of this long road started back in 1995 with the establishment of ‘Vision 2000.' It took until 2011, but we are here."
The new facility is more than double the size of the current hospital, which opened in 1895, housed 113 beds and hadn't been updated in 30 years.
A full range of clinical services and programs will be offered, and the province also announced Friday that it will provide funding for the operation of the MRI machine 40 hours a week.
The MRI machine along means 3,000 fewer patients will have to travel to London or Kitchener for their scans.
The new facility is badly needed in the area as the population of Woodstock grows, especially with the opening of the Toyota plant.
Up to 200 new staff members and health professionals are expected to be hired, and 10 new doctors recruited once all beds open and services begin.
