Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Contributes $1 Million to Cornwall Community Hospital Renovation Project
Seskehko:wa / September 22, 2008
Akwesasne, ONTARIO — The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) announced that it has made a substantial contribution to ensure that Akwesasne community members will continue to access and receive quality heath care at the Cornwall Community Hospital. MCA has made a $1 million donation to be dispensed over a five-year period towards the hospital’s recent and ongoing renovations to make it the region’s leading State-of-the-Art medical facility.“The contribution represents our willingness to work with neighboring communities and our commitment to provide high-quality hospital care to the community of Akwesasne,” said MCA Grand Chief Tim Thomspon. He noted that, “As one of the fastest growing communities in the region, we’re proud to support the hospital’s improvement that includes a number of new medical services, such as the birthing suites.”
Akwesasne residents accounted for nearly 5 percent of the hospital patients in 2006 thru 2007. A total of 14,961 patients received hospital services during that time period, with 704 being Akwesasne residents. Akwesasne’s contribution was estimated at $1,067,458; or 4.71 percent of the $22,685,000 Total Local Share for the Capital Redevelopment Project.
The Cornwall Community Hospital is undertaking a Capital Project that includes the construction of a new “high tech” wing, renovations to the existing facility and consolidation of its services. When completed, all of the hospital’s patient services will be located on McConnell Road and will feature the latest medical technology.
The first part of the renovation, known as the Early Works Project, was completed in June at a cost of $6.3 million and included the addition of Labour and Delivery Suites, as well as improvements to the Critical Care and Emergency Units. The Early Works Project was the preliminary stage of the hospital’s renovation and entailed additional patient rooms, an expanded nursing station, and many equipment upgrades.
The second part, known as the Main Redevelopment Project, will witness major improvement to the facility. It will include construction of a new 88,000-square-foot wing that will house five operating rooms, as well as emergency and diagnostic imaging departments. It’s anticipated that the modern, well-equipped medical facility will assist the hospital in the recruitment and retention of health care professionals to the area.
“We’re excited that our community members will be able to visit one location for all their medical needs,” added Grand Chief Thompson. “The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is grateful to the Cornwall Community Hospital for the important service and critical care that it will continue providing to Akwesasne residents.”
>>View accompanying photo.
