Beaming with pride at the Halton McMaster Family Health Centre
Signing the beam. From left to right: Gary Carr, chair, Halton Region; Rick Goldring, mayor of Burlington; David Price, chair, Department of Family Medicine at McMaster; Eric Vandewall, president and CEO, Joseph Brant Hospital; Paul Faulkner, chief of staff, Joseph Brant Hospital.
Officials from McMaster, Joseph Brant Hospital, the City of Burlington and Halton Region have quite literally “signed off” on the forthcoming Halton McMaster Family Health Centre.
Representatives gathered on site Thursday to scrawl their signatures onto a branded steel beam, which will be lifted into place to finish the initial phase of construction. The facility is slated to open next spring.
The Halton McMaster Family Health Centre will field some 26,000 patient visits a year from 10,000 regular patients, and serve as a home base for training of family medicine physicians and other health profession learners in the area. The new facility will have four clinician faculty members on site, and 10 family medicine residents. The 40,000-square-foot building will also host hospital administration.
“This new home for care and learning is fast becoming a reality, and a testament to the desire of the City of Burlington, the Region of Halton, Joseph Brant Hospital and the University to enhance health care in the community,” said David Price, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster.
“Today is another milestone event for Joseph Brant Hospital in respect to moving forward and completing phase one of our hospital redevelopment and expansion project,” added Eric Vandewall, president and CEO of Joseph Brant Hospital.
Burlington mayor Rick Goldring and Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr were also in attendance for the event.
“By marking our signatures on this beam today, we are committing to a bright health care future for the people of Burlington,” said Goldring. “The new Halton McMaster Family Health Centre is an important component of the redevelopment of Joseph Brant Hospital and demonstrates how when a community works together, we can achieve truly great things.”
“I am very pleased that Halton Region has partnered with Joseph Brant Hospital and McMaster University to bring this project to life,” added Carr. “Together with our Physician Recruitment Program, the Halton McMaster Family Health Centre will allow for more medical residents training in Halton, resulting in greater access to quality of care for residents, employers and the community as a whole.”
