3-storey addition to Chalmers Hospital moving ahead

The provincial government has announced it's moving ahead with the expansion of the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, after delaying the project in 2015.

The expansion was first announced by the previous PC government, but the Liberals did not provide any funding in their first year in office.

Now, they'll invest $2.5 million for design and engineering work on the expansion this year.

"It's needed here," said Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Stephen Horsman, making the announcement for the government. "Not only for the patients, but for the staff. And for recruitment of doctors and nurses coming here. It's a long time coming."

The expansion has been a priority for the Horizon Health Network, and president and CEO John McGarry was particularly concerned about the lack of funding for it last year.

"I'm really happy that I'm finally seeing a commitment to start this," said McGarry. "This year will be kind of a quiet year as we do the drawings behind the scene, but hopefully next year, that's when we start moving into the actual construction starting, over the course of the next four or five years."

The project will begin with the design and engineering phases, starting the multi-million dollar expansion.

The plans call for a three-storey addition to the hospital, plus major renovations.

The addition will include a new surgical suite; a recovery room; a day surgery unit; an intensive care unit; an ambulatory procedures unit; a gynecology, maternal and newborn unit; an instrument cleaning unit; a specimen collection unit; and clinical records.