Strathroy General Hospital gets $3.7M for new cooling system

The Ontario government gave $4.4 million to four southwestern Ontario hospitals on Wednesday with the lion's share, about $3.7 million, going to Strathroy General Hospital for a new chiller plant to control temperatures and keep staff and patients comfortable all year round.

The rest of the money will be split between three other facilities in the southwest through Ontario's healthcare infrastructure renewal fund and the community infrastructure renewal fund, according to the provincial government.

Julie McBrien, the president and CEO of Strathroy General Hospital told CBC News on Wednesday the hospital's old chiller plant was built in 1995 and it's vital the hospital create redundancy in its climate control system.

"There's a chance it could break down at anytime and then that would directly impact our ability to control temperature in the hospital."

Consistent temperatures are vital in a hospital setting, especially when it comes to maintaining ideal conditions for sterile equipment, storing medication and keeping vulnerable patients comfortable,

Installation of the system will take up to two years, according to McBrien, adding the provincial money is helping in renewing some of the old building's aging infrastructure.

"We have an old hospital and it's aging by the day," she said. "We don't want to take money away from programs and services to do this."

The money is part of a larger effort by the province to refurbish Ontario's aging fleet of hospitals, a news release published by the Ontario government on Wednesday said the $50 billion undertaking will span the next ten years.