A new hospital in East Gwillimbury and redeveloped Davis Drive campus will anchor care across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County
Southlake Health has taken a major step forward in transforming care across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. During a special event with provincial and municipal government partners, Premier Doug Ford joined Minister of Health Sylvia Jones to announce the Province of Ontario has endorsed Southlake’s vision to become a Distributed Health Network (DHN) over the next decade.
The province’s endorsement is supported by a $10 million investment that will be used to plan for the redevelopment of Southlake’s existing Davis Drive campus and the construction of a second acute care hospital in East Gwillimbury. This investment represents a strong vote of confidence in our vision to modernize and connect care for some of the fastest growing and aging communities in the province.
The two hospital sites will be the anchors of Southlake’s Distributed Health Network, which will be supported by community-based services at Advanced Care Centres across the region, and enabled by digital health and system partnerships. Together, they will allow Southlake to meet the needs of a growing and aging population, improve experiences for patients and staff, and bring care even closer to home.
“Our government is delivering on our plan to protect Ontario’s health-care system by investing $64 billion to build and upgrade over 50 hospitals across the province,” said Premier Doug Ford. “With today’s announcement of a new, state-of-the-art hospital in East Gwillimbury and the redevelopment of Southlake Health in Newmarket, we’re ensuring that people across York Region and Simcoe County have reliable access to world-class care for generations to come.”
The new funding will allow Southlake to advance functional planning for the new hospital in East Gwillimbury and redeveloped Davis Drive campus. The new hospital will be a full-service acute care facility with an Emergency Department, inpatient units and surgical program, with additional detailed service planning to be completed in the next phase.
“Our government is making historic investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system, ensuring people of all ages can connect to the care they need, no matter where they live,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This investment for a new hospital and redeveloped facilities at Southlake Health is another important step in building a stronger health-care system in York Region and Simcoe County that will connect more people and families to the care they need.”
Southlake’s current Davis Drive campus in Newmarket will be renovated with modernized inpatient units and operating rooms, as well as expanded emergency department capacity. The redevelopment will ensure the hospital can continue to meet the health-care needs of local communities, support increased patient volumes, and work efficiently in conjunction with the new hospital.
What’s next
With a second site confirmed in East Gwillimbury and provincial investment secured, Southlake is now moving from vision to implementation — designing a modern, connected health system to meet patients’ needs. Planning will focus not only on buildings, but on how care is delivered across the system. The goal is to ensure patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
“Today marks a defining moment for Southlake Health as we take a major step forward in transforming care across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County. The Government of Ontario’s investment and endorsement of our vision to build a Distributed Health Network will create a more integrated, sustainable local health-care system for generations to come,” said Paul Woods MD, President and CEO, Southlake Health. “We are grateful to Premier Ford, Minister Jones, and all our provincial and municipal partners for their leadership. Together, we will continue to deliver leading edge care, close to home.”
Looking towards the future, this announcement marks an exciting turning point for Southlake Health, its 6,000 team members, and the communities it proudly serves. Southlake will continue to engage municipal partners, physicians, staff, patients, health system partners and its communities to help shape the future of care delivery.
Continue to follow along as Southlake evolves into a Distributed Health Network delivering leading edge care, even closer to home.
