Prime Minister Andrew Fury, Health Secretary Tom Osborne and Transport and Infrastructure Secretary Elvis Lovelace made the announcement — which seemed to come out of the blue — this morning.
The government says that while the site of the new hospital has not been finalised, the nearby site of the former Grace Hospital is being considered.
The province says consultants will be engaged this fall to begin planning. The new facility will include early learning and childcare resources to assist healthcare professionals with childcare needs.
Firey says he thinks the old Grace Hospital site would be a great location for the new facility, though he stresses no decisions have been made on that front @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/EEOjzhkui8
— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) October 31, 2022
Premier Andrew Furey says planning is in the very early stages.
He says they are in the process of evaluating what will be needed in a new, state-of-the-art facility, and RFQs and RFPs will be issued once that is established.
The provincial government announced a surplus in the fall budget update, with $500 in cost-of-living benefits to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians making $100,000 a year or less and the development of a Future Fund
St. Clare’s celebrated its 100th anniversary earlier this year @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/3xE8cQ9862
— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) October 31, 2022
NAPE President Jerry Earle says he’s surprised but pleasantly surprised.
Earle says there’s no doubt that St. Clare’s is an aging facility, but he wants to make sure the government has a human resources plan in place to ensure a new hospital is adequately staffed.
He says a new hospital is not something that will come together quickly, so developing a human resources plan in the meantime will be critical.
