Photo (From Left to Right): Dr. Zeau Ismail, Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations, Research and Strategy; Dr. David Ceglie, Chief Executive Officer; Hon. Sam Oosterhoff, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness; Mark Reynolds, Director, Capital Planning and Redevelopment; Amanda Vander Wier, Chief Financial Officer; Gracemeda Eyoma, Project Manager
By Dr. David Ceglie, CEO
Capital redevelopment projects are often measured in milestones.
A submission. An approval. The beginning of a new stage.
But some of the most important work happens between those moments.Over the past several years, we’ve been working steadily – and thoughtfully – toward the future of Hotel Dieu Shaver.
When I last shared an update on our Capital Redevelopment Project in April, Hotel Dieu Shaver had just reached an important milestone: the completion and submission of our Functional Program to the Ministry of Health.
Five months later, our focus has shifted from completing that significant body of work to ensuring we are ready for what comes next.
And while we await the next formal step in the provincial capital planning process, we are certainly not standing still.
Taking Our Vision Across Niagara
Over the past several months, members of our team and I have had the opportunity to meet with the mayors of all 12 municipalities across Niagara.
These conversations have given us the opportunity to share our vision for the future of Hotel Dieu Shaver, provide an update on the progress of our redevelopment project, and discuss the increasingly important role rehabilitation will play within Niagara’s healthcare system.
They have also reinforced something we have long known: although Hotel Dieu Shaver is physically located in St. Catharines, the care we provide belongs to all of Niagara.
Our patients come from communities across the region. They arrive at HDS following strokes, neurological injuries, orthopedic procedures, serious illnesses and other life-changing health events. Our role is to help them recover, regain their independence and, whenever possible, return home to the communities and people they love.
That is why this project is not simply about the future of our hospital. It is about strengthening rehabilitation care for Niagara as a whole.
Our stakeholder engagement has extended beyond our municipal partners. Most recently, we welcomed MPP Sam Oosterhoff back to Hotel Dieu Shaver to provide an update on the project and discuss the future of rehabilitation care in Niagara.
And those conversations will continue.
In the months ahead, we will continue meeting with community, healthcare and government partners to build understanding of the project, listen to their perspectives and ensure the need for expanded rehabilitation capacity remains part of the broader conversation about Niagara’s healthcare future.
Ready for What Comes Next
At the same time, important work continues behind the scenes.
Our team continues to meet regularly with staff from Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health as we prepare for the next stage of the capital planning process.
We understand that our Functional Program is currently with Treasury Board, and like many across our organization and community, we are eager for an update that will allow us to proceed.
Our attention is firmly focused on Stage 2: Detailed Planning and Design — the phase that will begin turning years of functional planning into increasingly detailed plans for our future hospital. HDS’s current project roadmap anticipates that, once Stage 1.3 is approved, this work will include establishing a Planning, Design and Compliance team and developing the detailed requirements that will guide the project forward.
We want to be ready to hit the ground running. That means continuing our planning now, maintaining close relationships with our provincial partners and ensuring our organization is positioned to move forward when we receive the green light.
There is tremendous energy surrounding this project, and understandably so. Our plans call for a purpose-built hospital that would increase our inpatient capacity from 134 to 190 beds, expand therapy areas and create modern spaces designed specifically around rehabilitation and complex care.
But ultimately, this project is about much more than a new building.
It is about ensuring that as Niagara grows and changes, more people can access the specialized rehabilitation they need, closer to home. It is about creating an environment that supports our staff and physicians in delivering exceptional care. And it is about strengthening the role rehabilitation plays across our broader healthcare system.
Momentum Matters
Large healthcare infrastructure projects take time. They require rigorous planning, careful review, strong partnerships and patience.
But they also require momentum.
Over these past several months, I have been encouraged by the conversations we have had across Niagara and by the continued commitment of our staff, physicians, Board, partners and community to the future we are working toward.
There will be more conversations to come, more planning to undertake and more milestones ahead.
For now, we are doing everything we can to be ready for the next one.
And when that opportunity comes, Hotel Dieu Shaver will be ready to move forward.
With appreciation,
Dr. David Ceglie
CEO, Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre