Province backs $10-million LHSC expansion

The province is investing $10 million to fund a surgical centre that will enable LHSC complete 3,000 more procedures annually

THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT is investing over $10 million in the next phase of the Ambulatory Surgical Centre (ASC) project at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). When complete, the project will allow the hospital to perform more than 500 additional orthopedic surgeries a year and more than 3,000 total.

In March 2020, LHSC completed the construction of two additional operating rooms for orthopedic surgeries like hip and knee replacements. This has allowed the hospital to decrease operating costs by 56 per cent by standardizing care, reducing the number of instruments on surgical trays, and reducing the turnover time between patients from 23 minutes to 9 minutes.

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“Our region is one of the fastest-growing areas in the province,” says Dr. Jackie Schleifer Taylor, LHSC president and CEO, in a released statement.. “These funds allow us to effectively grow alongside our community, ensuring access and provision of excellent health care for those who need us. We appreciate the government’s collaboration to help us improve the orthopedic surgical experience for patients in our community.”

LHSC president and CEO, Dr. Jackie Schleifer Taylor

In addition to the ASC expansion, the government is investing a combined $1,314,703 in LHSC, St. Joseph’s Health Care and the Middlesex Hospital Alliance to help them reduce wait times and increase access to care. Funding comes from the province’s Surgical Innovation Fund, which is intended to help hospitals perform more surgeries and procedures for their community.

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At LHSC, the Surgical Innovation Fund will be used to purchase additional equipment for arthroplasty surgeries and the creation of a regular operating room at Victoria Hospital. St. Joseph’s Healthcare will use the funds to transfer more patients from the main Operating Room into clinics, while the Middlesex Hospital Alliance is upgrading their HVAC system and Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital is purchasing additional ultrasound machines, stretchers, and portable bedside monitors.

“Our government is making historic investments in critical projects for our communities like hospitals, schools, and roads,” says Monte McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. “This expansion at LHSC is part of our mission to ensure everyone in Middlesex and southwestern Ontario has access to quality healthcare when they need it.”