A major milestone on the path towards a new hospital in Prince Edward County has been reached. A request for proposals has been sent to builders.

On Thursday last week, Infrastructure Ontario announced four companies have been invited to respond to a Request for Proposals for the new build. The four companies were identified based on criteria set out in a qualifying process that began last spring.

Local project partners and Quinte Health expect that one of the four qualified bidders will begin construction in fall 2024.

The Prince Edward County Hospital dates back to 1919, when it was housed in the George Alcorn House on Hill Street. Forty years later, in 1959, County residents raised $577,000 to build the current facility on Picton Main Street.

The time around, the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) has raised a total of $21 million to help build a new hospital. The goal is $27 million, or 10 per cent of the cost of the new build, and covers the new medical equipment. The other 90 per cent of the construction costs will be covered by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC).

A 96,000 square-foot hospital will open in 2027, and is designed to meet the current and future capacity needs of the local community. It will have a 24/7 emergency department, diagnostic imaging, inpatient beds, and dialysis services.

Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)

Quinte Health noted the hospital is patient-centred, and has state-of-the-art infection control and ventilation, wider halls for modern medical equipment and larger, more flexible rooms.

Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith said the release of the call for tenders means Prince Edward County is “incredibly close” to its long-awaited, state-of-the-art, full-service hospital. “I’ve been fully committed to this project throughout my 12 years at Queen’s Park, and I’m so pleased to see this dream will soon be realized. This beautiful new hospital will provide high-quality care in the County for generations to come,” he said.

Quinte Health CEO Stacey Daub noted the sheer effort and support required to advance a new hospital build to reality. She noted a project of this magnitude takes an extraordinary amount of work, vision, time, and perseverance.

“I am inspired by the many citizens and community leaders who championed this project from the outset, by the long history of collaboration, and the unwavering, steadfast commitment shown by our partners – the PECMH Foundation, the Prince Edward County Family Health Team, the Municipality of PEC, and the PECMH Auxiliary,” said Ms. Daub. “Many members of the Quinte Health team planned and moved this essential project forward to ensure care close to home for generations to come.”

“We hope that everyone will feel they had a part in making this hospital a reality,” said the PEC Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Board Chair, Barbara McConnell. “While the planning partners are working hard to ensure the project remains on schedule, we will continue with the raising the required funds to ensure the community’s share of the cost is in place.” About $6 million remains to be raised over the next five years.

“If you would like to know more about how you can be a part of this next chapter in our County’s history, please contact the PECM Hospital Foundation team,” said Ms. McConnell. “We are grateful for all the support the Back the Build campaign has received  from every corner of our County. I look forward to being here to celebrate with donors, old and new, as shovels go into the ground next year.”