Vaughan hospital officially opens as full-service facility on Sunday

Thestar.com
June 3, 2021
Zana Salem

After operating on the front-lines of the pandemic since February, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital is shifting gears and will officially open as a full-service hospital on Sunday.

With COVID-19 case counts dropping, the hospital can now turn its focus to serving the western York Region community. It is the first new hospital to open in Ontario in more than 30 years.

“This means that programs planned to transfer from Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital to Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, including the Woman and Child, Inpatient Mental Health and Inpatient Integrated Stroke programs will open at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, along with its emergency department and other core services,” Mackenzie Health said in a statement Wednesday.

The hospital opening will double access to care for the residents of Vaughan, Richmond Hill, King and beyond, the statement said.

The hospital opened critical care and other beds in February to take the pressure off other hospitals struggling to deal with the pandemic.

Ontario’s COVID-19 cases continue their downward trend, with just over 700 new cases and 25 more deaths reported on Wednesday.