Grand opening for Bowmanville Hospital temporary helipad Tuesday

Lakeridge Health and Clarington residents can finally celebrate the official grand opening of the long delayed and much needed temporary helipad for Bowmanville Hospital Tuesday morning.

The Lakeridge Health leadership team will be joined by Ornge and local officials to formally celebrate the opening of the interim helipad in Bowmanville, which opened for use to support emergency air transportation in early September.

The permanent rooftop helipad will be built as part of a $700 million or so redevelopment of the hospital that will add 178 more beds and expand critical care services to Level 3 Critical Care capacity – the highest level of care provided in hospitals for critically ill patients.

The redeveloped hospital will also double the hospital’s current size with expanded critical care services and state-of-the-art facilities.

The new helipad is on Haines Street, just five minutes from the hospital, and is a temporary replacement for the rooftop pad at Bowmanville Hospital that was closed six years ago because of safety concerns.

The site, on municipally-owned land, was approved by the Health Ministry in early 2021, with construction initially scheduled for that summer. The project, however, never got off the ground that year because of the pandemic and Lakeridge Health had been working with ORNGE Air Ambulance Service, as well as its government partners ever since to get all the necessary approvals.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the collaboration and continued support from the Municipality of Clarington, Ornge, and all our municipal, regional, provincial, and federal partners in making this interim helipad a reality. This milestone helps to ensure our community receives timely, life-saving care through enhanced emergency air transport services,” said Lakeridge Health CEO Cynthia Davis in September. “The helipad represents a crucial part of the long-awaited Bowmanville Hospital redevelopment project which will transform health care in Durham Region, provide lasting benefits to future generations, and help us to truly achieve a comprehensive, integrated system of care that reflects our vision of ‘One System. Best Health.’”

The previous helipad atop the hospital was in use for more than 30 years transferring critically ill patients to other acute care facilities until it was closed in 2018.

Since the closure of the helipad emergency services and Air ORNGE have been forced to use Oshawa Airport as a jumping off point to get critically ill patients to urgent care facilities, adding unnecessary minutes to travel time.

“Re-establishing air ambulance service through the interim helipad is a significant milestone for our community. For over three decades, the Bowmanville Hospital’s helipad has been a lifeline, ensuring critically ill patients receive the urgent care they need,” said Bowmanville Hospital Foundation CEO Maria Petri. “This helipad ensures that, even during our redevelopment, we remain equipped to provide life-saving services to those who need it most. The Bowmanville Hospital’s future is bright, and this interim helipad is just the beginning of a new era of health care in Durham Region.”

The ceremony will begin at the temporary helipad site at 115 Haines Street at 9 a.m.