By David Pattenaude, from www.petroliatopic.com The Petrolia Topic
A $12-million expansion at Fiddick’s Nursing Home in Petrolia is “on schedule” for an opening by December of this year.
Administrator Mike Fiddick said “We’ve been blessed with a mild winter. The weather gods have been good to us.”
Bad winter weather could have put the project behind schedule but basement walls are going up and once plumbing work is completed, carpenters can start putting up exterior walls and the roof and the project can continue through the winter, said Fiddick.
Up to 50 new workers will be required for the nursing home expansion and the addition of 36 beds — together with 36 new beds at Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia — will likely eliminate a shortage of long-term care beds in Lambton County, said Fiddick.
This will greatly ease the “clogging” of acute care beds at Lambton County’s two hospitals, he said.
Meanwhile, renovations at Fiddick’s existing nursing home will be done and completed by March of 2013.
The Fiddick’s expansion was finally approved by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in September of 2011. The project was announced in March of 2010 by the Local Health Integration Network, which announced $3 million in new annual funding for the 36 new long-term care beds at both Fiddick’s and Vision.
Petrolia Topic Article ID#3440339
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