Runnymede hospital gets funding boost.
An official grand opening ceremony of Runnymede Healthcare Centre took place Wednesday morning, Dec. 8. The state-of-the-art facility was completed in October of this year on budget and ahead of schedule. Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews (at left) was on hand to help cut the ribbon. She is joined by President and CEO Connie Dejak, Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Stephen Ng, and Sam Ciccolini, co-chair of the inaugural ICARE Gala.
Staff photo/LISA RAINFORD
Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care announced an additional $8 million for Runnymede Healthcare Centre during its official grand opening ceremony, Wednesday morning, Dec. 8.
Deb Matthews, MPP for London North Centre, said the funding injection would mean the hospital would be able to accommodate 57 more patients.
"There are 105 people living here, but there's still room to grow," said Matthews in her keynote address from behind the podium. "That is great news for our health care system. I'm enormously delighted and happy. Today is a great day. I want to say thank-you to everyone who's made this day a reality."
Everyone in our community deserves the best care possible, said Matthews.
"We want you to have the best possible space in which to live," she said. "All of the things that make life the best, that's what we want for you. It takes so many people, so much vision to accomplish something like this."
The provincial government is in the midst of building 18 new hospitals, Matthews told her audience. "This is one of them," and 100 others across Ontario are undergoing major construction.
"It's such a beautiful space," said Matthews of the new state-of-the-art facility, which she toured with president and CEO Connie Dejak before the reception. "I want to give a shout out to the construction team and architects. Everything is really designed with the patients in mind. You've done a wonderful job."
Runnymede Healthcare Centre came from humble beginnings. The one-time Strathcona Public School at the corner of Runnymede and St. Johns roads was converted into a chronic care hospital in 1945. On the brink of demise, said Matthews, the hospital would be saved just in time.
In 2007 construction began on the new hospital, erasing more than two decades of uncertainty. Built on budget and two months ahead of schedule, the new facility boasts spacious patient rooms featuring large windows that capture the natural light, two open air courtyards and a large outdoor garden. Covered terraces allow patients to dine and relax outdoors.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,' said the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu. His words were part of a short video hospital staff made to tell the Runnymede Healthcare Centre story, which was shown as part of the opening ceremony. Mary, a resident at Runnymede for the past four years, appeared on the video singing her praises for the new facility. She lives with Huntington's Disease, a neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination and leads to cognitive decline and dementia.
Dejak expressed her heartfelt thanks to a long list of people, including donors, staff, construction and architectural teams as well as government officials.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the senior management team. They have been steadfast," said Dejak. "It's our party, it's our day of celebration."