Mary Sue Fitzpatrick
Vice President, Physician Recruitment
Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
Waterloo Region is known around the world for its strong technology sector and ability to create new and innovative products and services. Soon Waterloo Region will be home to a revolutionary place for health care delivery and that place is the Medical Centre at The Boardwalk.
The Medical Centre will be a state of the art facility that will become a beacon for health care providers from around the Region and soon to be home for over two dozen doctors to practice in. Before we get too far into the facility itself, I want to talk about The INCC Corp. that created The Boardwalk as a destination on the west side, straddling Kitchener and Waterloo along Ira Needles Blvd.
When the INCC Corp. began their ambitious project of building over a million square feet of retail space, they were also required to build at least 72,000 square feet of office space as per zoning laws. After significant conversations with the Chamber’s Physician Recruitment Task Force, the INCC Corp. decided to commit to building a space dedicated to health care. It seemed to be the greatest deficiency in the region and of critical importance for the local residents without a family doctor. The infrastructure would be appealing to doctors, as would the vision of the project.
According to Managing Director Cynthia Voisin, the emphasis is “to assemble like-minded medical professionals and create a culture of collegiality amongst GPs, while providing convenience to the patients who will benefit from having medical services in one location.” As of right now, it looks like they are doing just that.
The base building currently under construction will be finished in Fall of 2013 and will house a staggering 80,000 square feet of medical space. This space will bring general practitioners at all stages in their careers into one place, creating a unique mentorship opportunity for new family doctors. The Medical Centre will also bring together specialists from different disciplines under one roof to encourage ease of referrals and informal consults.
Doctors will be able to enjoy customized and modern facilities that meet their specific needs whether they prefer individual suites or in group settings. The ability of the Medical Centre to design and build custom and efficient turn-key space for the GPs is extremely appealing to facilitate setting up their offices.
With the exterior construction of the Medical Centre nearing completion, the interior space is being assembled for doctors, specialists, and medical service providers who have already committed to the location and vision of the project. These offices will be opening January 2014, making this a very quick turnaround of just 18 months since shovels went into the ground.
The Medical Centre means No Orphaned Patients and Convenience
It is anticipated that there will be more than 1,000 visits each day to the Medical Centre. Cynthia Voisin highlighted that there will be abundant parking at the Medical Centre with absolutely no charge for patients and staff for convenience and accessibility. A waiting list to the-boardwalk.ca website has been implemented to facilitate orphaned patients getting a family doctor.
I’ve also been told that there are several impressive components that will be implemented in the building, with details soon to be released. These additions will unquestionably have a positive impact on patient care. The Chamber couldn’t be more excited for the completion of the Medical Centre at The Boardwalk, as it will be a big draw for new doctors to the Region and provide a diversified facility right here in Kitchener-Waterloo.
