Hamilton Health Sciences’ new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital is open!
HAMILTON, ON – Hamilton Health Sciences’ (HHS) new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital (WLMH) is open.
Forty seven (47) patients were safely transferred from the previous building to the new hospital on Sunday, November 23 by staff and physicians with supportive equipment such as wheelchairs, or by patient transport vehicles operated by Voyago. The move was also supported by Hamilton Paramedic Service and Niagara EMS. It took five hours, and 280 staff and physicians to carry out.
“It takes a lot of steady hands and coordination to move patients between departments – let alone from one hospital to another,” says Dr. Joan Bellaire, Chief of Family Medicine for HHS and the Medical Director of WLMH. “Our dedicated staff and physicians planned a safe move for each patient and ensured that they were supported every step of the way. We’re also grateful to our partners for assisting patients that needed to be transported by ambulance. It was a heartwarming day, and we are all looking forward to providing excellent care in our new hospital.”
Work to decommission the old hospital, install parking and complete landscaping will commence early in the new year.
UPDATE:
And now for a teeny-tiny-huge milestone: Baby Kaur was the first baby born at our new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital, arriving Monday morning. Baby’s father Jaswinder says, “My experience as a father at West Lincoln Hospital was exciting and thrilling. The whole staff was so welcoming and nice, they took care of every small need we asked them. I would say it was a five star experience and I feel lucky to have had our child born at this place. It feels like heaven for us.”
And baby Robbie Beaudette was the last baby born at the old West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Robbie, with parents Lydia and Shawn, was part of the patient transfers on Sunday to the new facility. Shawn says, “Having the opportunity to walk down the halls of the old West Lincoln obstetrical unit was really nice for us, before bringing Robbie into the world. We got a chance to read all the notes from the community and the nurses on the ward. It was good to acknowledge that legacy.”
Baby Kaur is on the left, and baby Beaudette is on the right in this photo. (Photo by Dan Duffin, Danyuld Productions Inc.)
See photos of the patient move on November 23. (Photos by Dan Duffin, Danyuld Productions Inc.)
Watch a video tour of the new WLMH.
On November 14, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) celebrated the upcoming opening of the new WLMH alongside The Honorable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario and other representatives from all levels of government.
Learn more about WLMH.
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