There has been inaccurate information being spread on social media about the current number of acute care hospital beds at both the Met and Ouellette campus of Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) and what is being proposed in the preliminary planning for the new state-of-the-art acute care hospital.

The misinformation might be related to the fact that prior to October 1, 2013, WRH once operated both the Met and Tayfour campus and not the Ouellette campus. This would would have resulted in a larger total bed complement for Met and Tayfour when combined.

As always stated, the plan when we move to the new state of the art acute care hospital is to operate just as many acute care beds as currently in operation now and increasing those numbers based on agreements with the Erie St. Clair LHIN and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

As of February 1, 2016, WRH has open 557 acute care beds at both of its campuses. Included within this number is 68 acute mental health beds and 6 adolescent mental health beds at Maryvale. Excluded from this 557 amount is number of bassinets in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that will not change when moving to the new acute hospital.

The Stage 1 plan that has been submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care moves 60 of the acute mental health beds to Tayfour. There will be 8 mental health beds at the new state-of-the-art acute care hospital for patients with medical needs that also have psychiatric issues. Once their medical issues are stabilized they will transfer to the Tayfour campus.

So, if we exclude the 60 acute mental health beds we currently have 497 acute care beds at both of WRH’s campuses; included within that is 6 adolescent mental health beds at Maryvale.

If we opened the new acute care hospital today, and moved 60 mental health beds to Tayfour, we would have 497 acute care beds open, including 6 adolescent mental health beds at Maryvale.

The preliminary work at Stage 1 that will be finalized before Stage 4, indicates that the community will require 669 acute care beds in the next 20 years.

In addition, apart from this work, there is preliminary projected increases for rehabilitation and complex continuing care beds at Tayfour.