It’s been nine years in the works but a huge improvement in health care is ready to go for Quinte West and area.
Friday afternoon a spacious and modern Belleville Quinte West Community Health Centre (BQWCHC) was officially opened at its new location beside Trenton Memorial Hospital.
For the past 15 years health centre staff and patients have worked out of what are essentially five trailers joined together on a parking lot in what was called a temporary location in downtown Trenton.
Bay of Quinte riding MPP and Minister of Energy Todd Smith (Photo: Quinte News)
The provincial government provided over $14 million to build the new facility and Bay of Quinte riding MPP and Minister of Energy Todd Smith announced some bonus funding at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The province will grant $200,000 to design and do basic work in the building’s lower floor to make room for other health care providers and services, fulfilling the goal of creating a “health hub”, a one stop shop for healthcare services.
Partners planning to move in to the new centre are Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, Addictions and Mental Health Services, Hastings Prince Edward,
the Adult Day Program of the VON, and Home and Community Care Southeast. There will be room for others as well.
Smith said his government promised big improvements in healthcare and the investments are being made and will continue to be.
“PSWs (personal support workers), nurses and other medical practitioners now studying at Loyalist College on account of our increasing the number of people being educated will be working right here in this beautiful building.”
Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison reads from a plaque being presented to BQWCHC Executive Director Sheila Braidek (to the right), others in photo are members of Quinte West council. From left to right they are David O’Neil, Lesley Roseblade, David McCue, and Deputy-Mayor Jim Alyea. (Photo: Quinte News)
Mayor of Quinte West Jim Harrison thanked Smith for his government’s investments pointing not only to the new health centre but to recent and planned improvements
at Quinte Health Care hospitals, including Trenton Memorial. As far as health care is concerned Harrison said, “We’re winning!”
Chair of the BQWCHC Board of Directors Brad Harrington thanked the province, the City of Quinte West, Quinte Health Care, who provided the land free of charge, the centre’s staff, and
the organization’s board of directors, past and present.
Lori Cooper of the VON was on the board years ago when planning first began for a new community health Centre. She said, “Finally this is the result of a vision started many years ago.
This is a wonderful space. The vision has become a reality.”
BQWCHC’s Executive Director Sheila Braidek said plans for the new facility had evolved several times since 2013 and now there was room to dream and to really
meet the goal of providing seamless health care in one location for everyone in the community because of the various partners who will be involved.
“We’ll have space to imagine. This will be a building filled with care and action, with laughter and with tears. This is a place we can celebrate.”
Belleville Quinte West Community Health Centre Executive Director Sheila Braidek. (Photo: Quinte News)
