Founded in 1891 as the Barrie General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) has grown to become the largest hospital in Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka. It serves a large geographical area that includes Simcoe County, Muskoka and Parry Sound. While the programs and services offered by RVH are vast, it
specializes in cancer care, surgical services - particularly orthopedic surgery - and mental health services.
RVH has a team of more than 300 physicians and 2,300 staff members, and benefits from the support of 1,000 volunteers. The current site on Georgian Drive was opened in 1997, housing just fewer than 300 beds.
The expansion of RVH has doubled the size of the existing facility and includes the addition of the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre. This new cancer centre will provide comprehensive care to more than 2,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients each year throughout Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka.
The new space includes:
- the Simcoe Muskoka Regional Cancer Centre, which will have more than 65,000 patient visits in its first year;
- capacity for 101 additional inpatient beds;
- an emergency department that has tripled in size, featuring a trauma unit, isolation ward and mental health crisis team;
- an expanded, fully-automated laboratory;
- a diagnostic imaging department that has doubled in size to increase patient flow and privacy;
- two additional state-of-the-art operating rooms for complex surgeries that are larger than existing suites (completion scheduled for 2013);
- a dedicated seven-bed coronary care unit for critically ill cardiac patients, the only such unit in the region;
- and expansion space for two future patient care units (64 beds).
Construction of the new addition and cancer centre was completed in spring 2012 and the renovations to the existing hospital are expected to be completed by fall 2013.