A new building will be constructed as part of a significant expansion at Boundary Trails Health Centre that will add new acute care inpatient beds and provide larger, more modern space for patient care programs to support the health needs of these growing communities well into the future.
“We are building a health-care system that offers rural communities more services closer to home supporting specialized services at larger facilities like Boundary Trails, which can reduce the need for many residents to travel to Winnipeg for their care,” said Health and Seniors Care Minister Audrey Gordon. “This investment will ensure Boundary Trails can continue to support health services not only for the growing communities of Winkler and Morden well into the future, but also those of many other communities in the Southern Health-Santé Sud region.”
The $64.4 million project will move forward in two stages, with construction of a new, two-storey community services building and inpatient building additions occurring first. While planning for the new building is still being finalized, it is expected to include a number of existing programs that are currently located elsewhere including acute care areas of the health centre, the minister noted This may include services such as ambulatory care, cancer services, home care, education services, public health, health information services and administration.
Once programs and services have been relocated to the new community services building, renovations will begin on the vacated spaces in the health centre. This will allow for the creation of expanded spaces for several departments and programs, including surgery, as well as the addition of a retail pharmacy.
A two-storey addition to the inpatient building will also be constructed to house 24 inpatient beds on one level and enhanced nursery capacity on the other. These additions will be home to expanded health services to meet the needs of growing communities throughout southern Manitoba.
“Boundary Trails Health Centre provides essential medical services to the growing population in Winkler, Morden and surrounding communities,” said Jane Curtis, CEO of Southern Health-Santé Sud. “This new investment in acute care inpatient beds and additional space for patient care programs will strengthen the network of resources that makes Boundary Trails an important hub of medical services. It will ensure that we continue to meet the long-term needs of this growing area with access to high quality, specialized care that is closer to home.”
The expansion includes, and significantly builds upon, a project advanced by the Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation and other local community leaders, with the foundation committing support for the project. Details on the foundation contribution are being finalized, with more details to come.
“Today’s announcement is an investment in the future of Boundary Trails Health Centre,” said Ben Friesen, board chair, Boundary Trails Health Foundation. “Our foundation is proud to partner with the provincial government on an initiative that will add patient care beds and expanded health service, allowing more people in Winkler, Morden and the surrounding communities to get the care they need here, both now and in the future.”
As first announced in Budget 2021, Manitoba is making a historic $812-million capital investment in building, expanding and renovating health-care facilities across the province in support of the Clinical and Preventive Services Plan. The plan, led by clinicians, establishes a geographic network of care that will improve access to care for all Manitobans and identifies expanded services at Boundary Trails as being foundational to efforts to support better care, sooner, and as close to home as possible.
Construction on the new building, to be located adjacent to the current health centre, is expected to begin by the summer of next year, Gordon noted.
