Heather Wright/The Independent

Bluewater Health has received over $2.2 million to upgrade the sprinkler system at Petrolia’s Charlotte Eleanor Englehart Hospital.

Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey announced the $2,227,311 Thursday. The money is part of the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund given out yearly.

“Every year, the hospital applies for Infrastructure Renewal funding, which is really funding to help support kind of a behind the wall, meet, maintain the building,” Marlene Kerwin vice president of corporate services and Chief Financial Officer tells The Independent.

Kerwin says the work which will begin in October, will take several months to complete although patients are unlikely to notice the construction.

The upgrade will bring the sprinkler system up to Building Code standards, she added.

“By applying these funds to do this work, it will better position us ready to go live with the redevelopment project,” she said.

Bluewater Health plans to completely revitalize CEEH over the next 25 years. The first phase of the plan is emergency department redevelopment which includes 1,500 square feet of renovated clinical emergency department space, a separate ambulance and patient walk-in entrance, as well as diagnostic imaging equipment upgrades.

“We’re at the point of submitting detailed design documents for the emergency department renovation. So having this (sprinkler system) ready will really further ready the building to proceed with the remaining redevelopment project,” she said.

Kerwin says it is not clear when the detailed design documents will approved.