New Site for Cobequid Multi-Service Centre Announced
The site presently occupied by the old Halifax Correctional Centre in Lower Sackville has been chosen as the location for the new Cobequid Multi-Service Centre (CMSC).
The site was the unanimous recommendation by a steering committee made up of community members, staff and physicians and other stakeholders.
The Cobequid Multi-Service Centre is a health and social-service facility serving the communities of Bedford, Sackville, Waverley, Fall River, Hammonds Plains, Beaverbank, Windsor Junction, Mount Uniacke and other surrounding areas. It serves a catchment population of more than 100,000 people in one of the fastest- growing areas in Canada.
It includes an emergency department; x-ray and lab services; physiotherapy; ultrasound and EKGs; clinics in urology, asthma, diabetes and foot care; youth help; a hearing and speech centre; Meals on Wheels; the Family Service Association; drug dependency services and children’s and mental-health services.
“We’re very pleased that a new site has been selected, and that we can move ahead with our plans to replace this busy centre,” said Health Minister Jamie Muir. “It has always been a very unique health care facility, and we look forward to an expanded range of services and programs in the new centre.”
The Department of Health approved a request in December 1998 to replace the centre, which has been handling an ever increasing patient load since it opened in the late 1980s.
A steering committee with broad representation from the community was established to oversee the redevelopment process. It included representatives from the Community Health Board, the CMSC Foundation, the Halifax Regional Municipality Planning and Development Department, the provincial departments of Health, Community Services, and Transportation and Public Works, staff from the Capital District Health Authority, as well as staff and physicians from the CMSC.
A detailed study was undertaken to define the role of the new centre, the services to be offered and the preliminary space requirements. A community-based site-selection process was established and a number of public meetings were held between May and October 2000 to discuss 34 potential sites. Three sites were eventually recommended for more detailed review, including the current Halifax Correctional Centre property, a property on Walker Avenue near Highway 101 and Beaverbank Road, and a property on Duke Street bordering Highway 102.
“A detailed review of the three sites, including development costs and availability, led the committee to a unanimous decision to recommend the Halifax Correctional Centre site,” said Steve Jensen, chair of the steering committee.”
The correctional-centre buildings will be demolished after the new Halifax Correctional Centre opens in the Burnside Industrial Park this summer.
“We’re pleased the board of the Capital District Health Authority and the Department of Health have approved the recommendation,” said Mr. Jensen. “Now we can take this decision back to the community meeting on May 17, and show them some preliminary drawings of where the building and access routes will be located on the new site.”
“We are very happy with this news,” said Bob Smith, CEO of the Capital District Health Authority. “The demands on the Cobequid facility have far outgrown its capacity. Staff and physicians are anxious to move forward with this new building that will meet the growing needs of the many communities that rely on the centre.”
A tender call for the design of the building will take place within the next six weeks. By June 2002, a design will be completed and a tendering process for construction will be called for an August 2002 start. The new CMSC is expected to open by December 2003.