Kitchener's St. Mary's hospital gets $7.4M for cardiac care access

St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener will be receiving $7.4 million from the province to expand cardiac care.

The hospital is also receiving an additional $750,000 to replace its roof, windows, fire systems and to upgrade generators. That funding is from the province's health infrastructure renewal fund.

The $7.4 million will be used to redevelop the Heart Rhythm Program, which offers various cardiac therapies.

"We know this is a wonderful program, and as we've heard, is one of the top three cardiac centres in Canada," Minister of Health Christine Elliott said at the funding announcement.

The total cost of the project will be about $13 million, she said. The remainder of the funds are being raised by the hospital.

"Through this project the hospital will add new cardiac services that treat abnormal heart rhythms to the existingcardiac program, to reduce wait times," Elliotsaid.

It will also see the hospital build an expansion for a new electrophysiology lab, space for patient recovery and more clinic space.

Most importantly, Elliott said, this will allow St. Mary's to provide a full spectrum of cardiac treatments and attractmore patientswith these types of conditions,freeing up space at other hospitals where they are currently hospitalized.

"We serve people from as far as Tobermory to as close as Guelph," John Woods, Interim President of St. Mary's Hospital said.