ER expansion plans in the works at Guelph General but 'stopgap' trailer will remain for a few more years

For the past two years, a trailer outside Guelph General Hospital has been the first point of contact for many emergency department patients.

“We really would like to get rid of the trailer. It’s a great stopgap, however our community deserves a state-of-the-art emergency department,” hospital president and CEO Marianne Walker told CTV News.

The temporary structure was an idea from clinical staff to help ease increasing emergency department patient loads during the pandemic.

Walker says the emergency department was "already too small" pre-pandemic.

Describing the trailer as "a great space," Walker said the 3,600 sqaure foot structure "has good lighting, good waiting room, washrooms and good treatment areas also for assessment.”

But staff are ready to move on.

EXPANSION PLANS

An emergency department re-development project has been in the works since before the pandemic.

Walker says that’s because the original emergency department at Guelph General Hospital was built to serve about 45,000 visits per year, though it’s recently hit a peak well beyond that, closer to 64,000 visits per year.

Walker said there are two phases to the redevelopment plan, the first of which has already been approved by the provincial government.

Phase one, estimated to cost around $19 million, will include the construction of a new triage space and an additional ambulance bay.

The plan includes doubling the number of beds in the short stay unit for patients needing mental health and addictions help from four to eight.

Phase two is estimated to cost about $13 million and is still awaiting approval from the ministry. It could see the emergency department's ‘see and treat’ area expanded from its current five short-term beds to 13.

Phase two may also include an “additional isolation room so that we can ensure all our infection control and prevention practises are in place,” Walker said.

The hospital says it’s relying on donors to fund at least 10 per cent of the re-development, including new equipment.

“It's about the growth of our community,” Walker explained.

“Guelph is one of the fastest growing communities in the country and we know that we are going to need more space.”

Walker says the trailer outside of the emergency department will stay until both phases of the re-development are fully complete, which will take a few years.

Guelph General Hospital's special care nursery is also being re-developed right now. That project should be done by April.