Local hospital installing new generator

By Sarah Sobanski

The province is helping Quinte Health Care's Bancroft hospital replace its emergency generator.

The current generator at North Hastings Hospital is nearly three decades old, according to QHC manager for communications and community relations Catherine Walker. It was moved to the new hospital from Bancroft's Red Cross hospital.

The replacement comes as the province invests $175 million in repairs and upgrades to hospitals for 2017. It selected 131 hospitals for its Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund. Quinte Health Care has received close to half a million dollars as a result. Around $200,000 of the $491,000 will go towards the North Hastings Hospital generator. 

“We are grateful to receive additional funding to make these kinds of important infrastructure upgrades to our hospitals,” said senior director of communications for QHC Susan Rowe.

The province also invested $1.2 million in Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare through the HIRF. The fund was established in 1999 to assist hospitals in renewing their facilities.

Ontario is investing more than $20 billion in hospital infrastructure over the next decade.