“If we had a catastrophic electrical failure today, we would be out of this hospital for three weeks.”
Those words are from Bob DeRaad, Bluewater Health’s director of rural health and impatient medicine.
DeRaad is leading the reconstruction of the Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital site in Petrolia. He was updating Petrolia Town Council on the state of the renovations at CEEH.
The province announced $7.5 million in funding in the spring of 2017 to begin the redevelopment of the Petrolia Hospital. It was part of a project with the Town of Petrolia to create a community health hub.
First on the construction list at CEEH is the reconfiguration of the emergency department.
DeRaad says all of the plans for that have been submitted to the Ministry of Health and are awaiting approval.
And while the redevelopment of the ER is critical, DeRaad says there is just as much concern about the hospital’s infrastructure.
“We have an electrical system that is way past its best before date,” DeRaad told council.
“I’m going to be honest with you, if we had a catastrophic electrical failure today, we would be out of this hospital for three weeks.”

Bluewater Health has applied for $5 million from a special hospital infrastructure fund. It isn’t clear when the province will make a decision on the request.

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