Peterborough County has agreed to pledge support for the Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) redevelopment project.
Earlier this month, Jeff Hohenkerk, President and CEO, CMH and Carrie Hayward, Board Chair of the Hospital gave a delegation to council explaining the project and how it will impact the County of Peterborough.
Hayward told council that the current CMH is 72 years old and no longer meets the needs of their patients.
It has severe limitations concerning infection control which was demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, capacity issues and is not accessible. In her presentation she said that there is a growing demand for a new care centre with the growing demand for care and increasing pressure in Emergency and In-Patient care as well as the fact that the existing space and layout of CMH cannot support future healthcare needs for the community.
Hayward explained they had a parcel of land donated to the hospital for a new, updated, hospital to be built. On that land, they plan to build not only a new hospital to replace the aging infrastructure at the current location, but also a long-term care and supportive housing and include space for community services, mental health, and recreation.
This is a long term plan with the board currently undertaking stage one of three. They are in the early planning stage, discussing proposed development of the site.
The next stage would be detailed planning with the third and final stage being construction. The project timeline started in July 2025 and is expected to continue until 2032.
While CMH is not within Peterborough County, residents within the County do utilize the hospital’s services.
Hayward explained that CMH is an essential health services resource for residents in the eastern portions of Peterborough County as it is the primary hospital for residents of both Havelock-Belmont-Methuen and Asphodel-Norwood. She went on to say that more than 25 per cent of residents in CMH’s catchment area live in Peterborough County. They are a critical partner in relieving pressure on PRHC and other neighbouring hospitals and stated that a strong CMH means a strong PRHC.
It was also mentioned during the County Council meeting that the population is aging rapidly across Ontario, specifically for this area. Not only is there a growing aging population which are more likely to utilize hospital services, but there is also a dramatic increase in Ontarians living with chronic illness such as dementia, diabetes, osteoarthritis, cancer, and kidney disease.
Hayward said that CMH is essential because it:
• Provides local emergency and inpatient care
• Relieves pressure on larger hospitals like PRHC
• Supports rural access to healthcare
• Enables care closer to home for aging populations
At the end of their presentation, Hayward and Hohenkerk asked County Council to pass a resolution identifying CMH Redevelopment as a municipal and regional healthcare priority, assist in promoting upcoming community engagement opportunities to ensure broad public participation, partner with CMH in advocating for provincial approval, emphasizing rural equity, physician need, and economic impact, and begin exploring options for future support.
The resolution was moved by Coun. Jim Martin, Mayor of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen and seconded by Coun. Hart Webb, Deputy Mayor of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen. It was carried. For more information on the new CMH, visit https://www.cmh.ca/redevelopment.
