Further Reading: Opinion Pieces in the Media
Demanding a Mega-Hospital Re-Think
By Philippa von Ziegenweidt The Windsor Essex mega-hospital decision was made by a very small unelected group of people, almost all of whom live outside Windsor. For residents expected to foot the bill for this $2 billion project, it's been impossible to find elected officials to accept responsibility for the proposal. This makes it very difficult, in all likelihood intentionally so, to direct formal complaints. Read the full article in the Windsor Independent. |
Whose Vision will New Hospital Serve?
By Lisa Pike
The recent article on Hôtel Dieu is informative. Finally, we are told in plain language that our local hospitals will be demolished. We will have a “healthcare system”: a mental health facility downtown, an urgent care clinic on Crawford open 14 to 18 hours per day, and a “mega” facility by the airport for acute care. No plans for the empty lot remaining after Met’s demolition; Tayfour campus (once itself an actual local hospital as many still remember) will remain.
A vision is coming into focus. But whose and whom does it serve?
I remember when I had my first child at Grace Hospital in the 1990s. There was a move by the province to reduce the length of stay for mother and newborn in hospital. Touted as progressive, women and babies could be at home sooner. I, for instance, was discharged a mere 12 hours after giving birth. But healthcare doesn’t disappear just because I’m no longer occupying a bed. The hospital budget may be lighter, but healthcare must still be performed. Cost is merely shifted onto the community. Onto my mother, for instance, who took a week off work to help me recover.
A new hospital system sounds interesting, but what are the realities for people on the ground? People with complex medical issues? How will they maneuovre this system of compartmentalized care? Do people in the west end really only require an urgent care centre? Do those downtown only suffer mental health issues? Should we only have one ‘mega’ facility where all other patients will be housed? Can we afford to make the concept of local hospitals serving a neighbourhood with a variety of services a thing of the past?
Rather than debate the location of a ‘megahospital’, perhaps it would be more prudent to consider how they are being used as a tool by the province for permanently and irrevocably restructuring our healthcare.
By Lisa Pike
The recent article on Hôtel Dieu is informative. Finally, we are told in plain language that our local hospitals will be demolished. We will have a “healthcare system”: a mental health facility downtown, an urgent care clinic on Crawford open 14 to 18 hours per day, and a “mega” facility by the airport for acute care. No plans for the empty lot remaining after Met’s demolition; Tayfour campus (once itself an actual local hospital as many still remember) will remain.
A vision is coming into focus. But whose and whom does it serve?
I remember when I had my first child at Grace Hospital in the 1990s. There was a move by the province to reduce the length of stay for mother and newborn in hospital. Touted as progressive, women and babies could be at home sooner. I, for instance, was discharged a mere 12 hours after giving birth. But healthcare doesn’t disappear just because I’m no longer occupying a bed. The hospital budget may be lighter, but healthcare must still be performed. Cost is merely shifted onto the community. Onto my mother, for instance, who took a week off work to help me recover.
A new hospital system sounds interesting, but what are the realities for people on the ground? People with complex medical issues? How will they maneuovre this system of compartmentalized care? Do people in the west end really only require an urgent care centre? Do those downtown only suffer mental health issues? Should we only have one ‘mega’ facility where all other patients will be housed? Can we afford to make the concept of local hospitals serving a neighbourhood with a variety of services a thing of the past?
Rather than debate the location of a ‘megahospital’, perhaps it would be more prudent to consider how they are being used as a tool by the province for permanently and irrevocably restructuring our healthcare.
Windsor Star Guest Column: Where to Place the New Hospital
by Windsorite Shane Mitchell, who was born and raised in Leamington, and has been an architectural professional for eight years in the region. In the past year, news of a new single site acute care centre to replace both Hotel-Dieu Grace and Windsor Regional Hospitals has been making headlines. These fundamental institutions are vital to our city and region and need to be carefully planned with all factors in mind. Should it be decided we are to move forward with this plan, it is imperative we carefully consider the placement of the new facility, as it will drastically affect the shape our city and surrounding communities take in decades to come. Read full article in the Windsor Star The Urbanite: Mega hospital site location debate
by Adam d'Andrea Now that a regional single-site mega hospital has been approved, a major question has arisen as to its location. As one would expect, the debate surrounding the site of the mega hospital has been fairly heated with a wide range of ideas. Windsor Regional Hospital CEO and president David Musyj said there have already been countless location suggestions. Read full article in The Urbanite |
Transform City Blight into Mega Hospital
by Sergio Bertucci M. Arch, LEED AP Can you imagine a city that for no better reasons than short sighted polices of provincial officials was left to its certain dwindling demise? If we, as Windsorites do not pull together, the dark and ever expanding cloud of blight which silently hovers over Windsor will eventually burst, and leave us with no more than a perpetual shrinking city. It is dilemmas like these which only serve to exacerbate the continual shrinking city issue that haunts many once Great North American Cities. The location of the proposed mega hospital which has been in the news this past year is a topic of much debate. There have been suggestions that the hospital should be placed outside of the city. One person went so far as to suggest that the town of Essex be the site, because it is the geographical center of Essex County. With that reasoning, perhaps all institutions such as universities and colleges should be moved to Essex as well. Firstly, if we take the time to realize that this decision needs to be analyzed at a comprehensive level, there are many issues to consider. Of these issues, the one of most importance, as Mitchell mentioned, the vast majority of hospital patients are from the Windsor area. This fact is important because public transportation is readily accessible to the GM site. More importantly, there is existing access from a major artery, Walker Rd, and two minute distance from two more major arteries, Wyandotte and Tecumseh. Additionally the proposed GM site is minutes from the EC Row expressway. As city residents and planners, we must strive to include empirical data (that is, information gathered over time) as a basis for the continuing improvement in the design of our cities. Click here to continue to full article |
The Windsor Square: MegaHospital A Southern Anchor
by Windsorite Gabriel Maggio As a downtown resident, two blocks over from Ouellette Avenue, I should be the first to oppose congestion in my neighbourhood. But I welcome it, as congestion in a downtown is the earmark of a vibrant city. And before my personal interests I put the best interest of our city first. Why not? I live and earn an income here too. I was born here like many, was raised, educated and will die here. Moving on, when you travel to other “world class” cities you find certain institutions downtown as they well should be. Read full article in The Windsor Square Windsor Star Editorial: Selecting Site for New Hospital
We can understand why areas outside the city would love to have the new mega hospital put down roots in their towns and burgs. The new facility will cover 50 to 60 acres of land, house hundreds of employees and be a boon for surrounding businesses. It will be a very profitable venture. Read full editorial in the Windsor Star |