Local residents who use the Centretown Community Health Centre can expect improved health services and expanded facilities beginning later this year, thanks to a $3-million capital grant from the Ontario government.
Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi announced the grant in December.
The health centre serves approximately 15,000 people annually, but that number is growing, says Jeff Morrison, CCHC board president.
The centre has acquired 5,000 square feet of new space in an adjacent building, where it will transfer its administrative and operational functions in order to make the current facility more client-oriented. The existing centre will also be renovated to accommodate for more social services and community rooms, Morrison says.
“The way their space is organized now, they’re not able to accommodate more people, even though they have the staffing to do so,” says Chantale LeClerc, CEO of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network.
There are also a number of “deficiencies” in the current building that could compromise the quality of care the centre delivers, Morrison says, including problems with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Construction is expected to begin within the next few months.