Plan to create health-care precinct moves forward

Yokregionreview.com
Oct. 4, 2019

As construction of the Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital continues, the City of Vaughan is moving forward with plans to create a health-care precinct.

The City, York University, Mackenzie Health and ventureLAB signed a memorandum of understanding on Oct. 2 to conduct a feasibility study to determine how to maximize the lands surrounding the future hospital. The 82-acre parcel of land is known as the Vaughan Healthcare Centre Precinct under a plan approved by Vaughan Council in Nov. 2013.

“The new state-of-the-art Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital will be a catalyst for other uses, like medical offices, labs and research space, health-care incubators, and education and conference rooms related to health care,” says Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua. “This is where thought leaders, subject matter experts and innovators will come together to advance a shared vision of health-care innovation.”

The City is funding the $210,000 feasibility study, which will be undertaken by a consultant and will identify strategies to generate economic opportunities, research innovation, training and development, and enhance the delivery of front-line health care for patients. The study is expected to be complete by the end of 2020 and will be followed by a comprehensive action plan.

Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, the first hospital to be built in the York Region in the last 30 years, is under construction at the northwest corner of Jane Street and Major Mackenzie Drive just north of Canada’s Wonderland. It will be the first hospital in Canada to feature fully integrated “smart” technology systems and medical devices that can speak directly to one another to maximize information exchange.

“This initiative has the potential to increase the experiential learning opportunities available to students and to strengthen our ability to lead multi-sector, collaborative and community-engaged research projects that could improve the health and well-being of communities around the world,” says Rhonda L. Lenton, President and Vice-Chancellor, York University.

ventureLAB, a leading technology hub located in York, has supported more than 350 Canadian health tech companies build to scale and go global. The initiative “will create meaningful, impactful opportunities for start-ups and scale-ups while improving health care for Canadians,” says President and CEO Melissa Chee.