The Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) is the lead provider of emergency medical care and services in Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations, and surrounding areas. BCHS is committed to providing safe, high quality care to patients and families in their time of greatest need.
The Emergency Department at Brantford General Hospital is open 24 hours a day, every day, and is staffed by a specially trained team of physicians and nurses. Patients arrive with a variety of urgent medical conditions, cardiac episodes, trauma and mental health or addiction crises requiring immediate care.
Over the past decade, the Brant Community Healthcare System at Brantford General has experienced greatly increased demand for emergency care. Currently over 58,000 patients present at the Emergency Department annually to receive help and care, including 8,000 pediatric patients. The Emergency Department is responsible for up to 56% of all patient admissions to the BCHS. These patient volumes will continue to grow to over 70,000 visit per year by 2030.
The renovation of the current Emergency Department at the Brantford General Hospital is expected to nearly double it’s footprint . The new, modern space will lead to improved flow, increased capacity, assist with decreasing wait times, improve privacy and confidentiality and ensure infection control protocols.
Under the province’s funding model, the BCHS Foundation must pay 10% of all construction costs (the “local share”) for the renovation of the Emergency Department. In addition, funds must be raised for the purchase of all medical equipment, furnishings and fixtures for the renovated Emergency Department – these are not covered or cost shared by the Ministry of Health.
The BCHS Foundation is responsible for raising in excess of $8 million to cover the local share of these renovations. To date we have raised $6.2 million towards this project and are in the final stretch of the fundraising needed.
The ED renovation will have a tremendous impact on patient experience. Newly designed acute care and mental health care areas will mean that patients can be assessed in the location that is most appropriate for their care.
Dr. Aaron Wynn, Emergency Department PhysicianThe planned improvements and expansion of the ED will mean better patient flow, less wait times and reduced ‘hallway medicine’. Investment in the ED space and purchasing equipment is crucial to patient care.
Kerri Creeden, Unit Clerk, Emergency DepartmentDonations to the BCHS Foundation are crucial for making this project happen and for purchasing the patient equipment we need and use every day in the ED, such as ECG machines, vital signs monitors and portable ultrasounds.
Sky Cartledge, RPN, See & Treat, Emergency Department
For more details on the BCHS Emergency Department Renovation Improvement Project, please visit reimaginebchs.ca
Emergency Department Renovation – Project 1 Features:
- 9,975 square feet of added space
- development of a new See & Treat area
- Indigenous Care area
- Waiting room renovated
- Entrance enlarged with enhanced safety
- Expanded security office and switchboard area
- provision of new mental health treatment areas
Emergency Department Renovation Improvement Project Update:
- Contractor bid walk-throughs took place in February and March 2023
- Tender for Project 1 of the Emergency Department renovation was issued in February 2023
- Final submission sent to the Ministry of Health (MOH) in March 2023
- Through a bidding process, the BCHS awarded the contract to Merit Contractors Niagara Ltd.
- A portion of Terrace Hill St will be temporarily closed from St. Paul Ave to Elizabeth St starting in October 2023 for approximately one year
- All parking lots remain open. Main patient and visitor parking will be in the parking garage and lot F, as the D Wing entrance will be the main entrance into the hospital during construction. The A Wing entrance is for ED and dialysis patients only. Lot C will be reserved for staff and Dialysis/ED patients only. Lot B is reserved for staff and ED patients only.
- Construction will take approximately 3.5 years with completion anticipated in early 2027. Thank you for your patience and support as we work to renovate the ED to better serve the health care needs of the community.
- For more details on the ED Renovation Improvement Project, visit reimaginebchs.ca
Exciting times lie ahead for the future of healthcare in Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations, and surrounding areas. But there is still much work to do to fully fund a renovated Emergency Department at the Brantford General Hospital – and your support is more crucial than ever!