Wellington County communities now have better access to forward-looking health care closer to home. The existing Groves Memorial Community Hospital (GMCH) has been replaced by a new acute care facility to facilitate continued leadership in the provision of excellent and compassionate rural health care. A generous greenfield site has sufficient space to provide the emergency, ambulatory, diagnostic and inpatient services needed to accommodate a growing County. The overall expression of the facility is a unifying one, built on local heritage, with features which: breakdown the massing of the building through articulated wings; highlight the entrances of the building through canopies and exterior courtyards; and express the functions within through fenestration patterns which are programmatically driven. Large expansive windows also allow natural light to penetrate deeply into the building and the single patient rooms ultimately connect the interior with views to the surrounding natural areas.

A number of key directives influenced the Hospital design including Lean Design Principles and Evidenced Based Design Principles. Modernized infection control measures incorporate components such as additional isolation facilities to enhance the hospital’s ability to respond to a pandemic or disease outbreak. The GMCH is designed as a place for everyone.  All interior and exterior routes comply with AODA and accommodate a variety of mobility devices, and ample turning areas placed regularly along all pedestrian routes.  The new facility has achieved a LEED Silver certification.  In addition to this project stepping lightly on our planet, it promotes the social well-being of the community through: its celebration of the renowned Dr. Groves; the pride the community feels when they are home to a state-of-the art hospital; and the economic advantage this brought by attracting new physicians and staff to the community.