The Stage Two plans for the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital rebuild have been submitted to the Ministry of Health ahead of time.
Hamilton Health Sciences Director of Redevelopment Bart DeVries explains this stage includes a functional program of the rebuild. "A functional program basically describes all the services and programs in the new hospital, how many rooms there will be, the size of those rooms, and the adjacencies of the departments. So you can imagine, for instance, that the emergency department needs to have the diagnostic imaging - the X-Ray, CT, and so on - adjacent to it."
DeVries says when it is completed, the new hospital will be 85 percent larger than the current one as they adhere to updated accessibility protocols.
"We're also moving to all single patient in-patient rooms from a lot of ward rooms and semi-private rooms. So with that the building becomes a lot bigger. There's also updated mechanical systems, for instance, that really do drive the size of the building larger than what the current footprint is as well."
The plan also includes four operating suites, twice the current amount, and a new multi-faith room.
The current hospital will continue operating until the new one is finished.
DeVries says all of the services currently offered will still be offered at the new site.
The public will be able to view the Stage Two plans once the Ministry grants its approval. Officials expect the approval in early 2021.