As of Monday, the rear parking lot at the Bethesda Regional Healthcare Centre is no longer accessible.

The long-awaited construction of the hospital expansion has finally begun. The $21M project was first announced in October of 2021 and includes both a renovation and an expansion. As part of that, 23 acute care medicine beds are being added as well as a renal dialysis unit with six stations.

Along with city council, private contributors and the federal government, the Province of Manitoba held a groundbreaking ceremony in August 2022. However, a number of things still needed to happen before work on the expansion could get underway.

In September of 2022, three Southern Health-owned properties north of the hospital were rezoned. Those three properties will help make up for the parking space that will be lost as the hospital grows to the west. 

Now, with fencing up and equipment on site, residents of Steinbach can expect to see a lot of activity on the back side of the hospital for the foreseeable future.

A fence surrounds the parking lot at Bethesda Hospital